


I Hold It True, Whate'er Befall

by Shenandoah76209



Category: Firefly, Pitch Black (2000), Serenity (2005), The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:57:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 97,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16419377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shenandoah76209/pseuds/Shenandoah76209
Summary: Summary: Nobody on the crew treated her like an adult, unless it was convenient for them. Except for him. And no one realized how much he'd changed. Except for her. When Serenity runs across another derelict and picks up two survivors everything will change.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> I envy not in any moods  
> The captive void of noble rage,  
> The linnet born within the cage,  
> That never knew the summer woods: 
> 
> I envy not the beast that takes  
> His license in the field of time,  
> Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,  
> To whom a conscience never wakes; 
> 
> Nor, what may count itself as blest,  
> The heart that never plighted troth  
> But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;  
> Nor any want-begotten rest. 
> 
> I hold it true, whate'er befall;  
> I feel it, when I sorrow most;  
> 'Tis better to have loved and lost  
> Than never to have loved at all.  
> -In Memoriam - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

_**Jayne** _

Jayne didn't have a lot of use for introspection; he could barely spell the word, though, thanks to nearly three years around River and Simon Tam he was well aware of what it meant. River was a big part of why he understood a lot more of what Simon said than he let on, and that was how Jayne liked it. His life was a lot easier if Simon thought he was ignorant and stupid on top of it. Not that the doc thought too badly of him, not after Miranda and Mr. U's moon. But Simon had made it plain as the nose on Jayne's face that there was no way in hell a thirty year old merc was anywhere near good enough to look at his baby sister River Tam.

And that was when all Jayne had been thinking of was looking. He hadn't even done much more than think about it, but a year ago the girl had begun wearing clothing that fit her and suited her better than oversized dresses and every part of Jayne that was male had stood up (literally) and taken notice. That had been a crapfest of a day altogether when he couldn't string two words along and complete sentences were beyond his capability because every time he got within smelling distance of River his wedding tackle wanted to announce it self. If the damn thing had a trumpet it would have been blowing it loud enough to wake the dead that Jayne Cobb wanted to get horizontal, vertical and every other 'al' with River Tam.

Simon, thankfully, had just thought Jayne was being more dense than usual. Jayne was grateful for that, not that the doc was what you'd call over observant anyway, but River couldn't help but know. There weren't any secrets from a Reader, even if River had pretty much wrestled her brain into submission these days. She'd waited though, waited until the captain and Zoe and Kaylee and Wash and Simon had all left the mess and he was doing his chore of cleaning up.

And then River Tam had come slipping up to him and apologized for causing him discomfort, as if he wasn't a grown man who could take responsibility for his own damn animal urges. "Did not mean to tempt him," She whispered softly. "Apologies." She'd tilted her head in that uncanny way she had, and asked, "If she returns to her old clothing, will he feel less...fraught?"

"Fraught," Jayne had muttered the word and considered it. "Means, uh...burdened?" She'd nodded and Jayne had shaken his head, "River it ain't your fault."

"She introduced stimuli for which he had no preparation and did not even warn him," River still fell back into her old way of using the wrong pronouns when she was stressed. Back then she'd done it twice as often. "She does not wish her partner to be uncomfortable."

"River, c'mere, and just listen to me, all right?" Jayne had picked her up and sat her on the counter so they were eye to eye. "Now any urges I got, or get, when I look on you, those don't mean you're at fault." When she appeared about to argue he shook his head, "Nope, you're gonna listen to me." River frowned but nodded her agreement and he'd continued, "Now I'm a grown man. Old man like me knows how to control himself. Bein' taken by surprise ain't an excuse for not controllin' my wants. I'm sorry you had to hear that all day. I'll try to stifle 'em and if I'm botherin' you with what I'm thinkin' you just say my last name and I'll know to...switch the cortex to somethin' else."

"Why am I suddenly desirable because of new clothing," River wanted to know. "My body is the same. I haven't changed, only my clothing has. Does this mean that men truly only see the external? That a change in appearance is enough to create attraction?"

"No, that ain't it at all," Jayne had been glad he could reassure her as to that. "No River. I always knew you were a woman. It's been obvious since you popped outa your box that you were. Little on the thin side back then but you had a woman's legs and I took notice a that." Her delighted smile had done something to his belly, twisting it in pleasure and he'd smiled slightly back at her. "No, when you stopped wearin’ stuff three sizes too big...well I couldn't pretend I didn't know. Sorta made me realize all over again. And now your brain is workin' right and we work together an’ I know just how smart an’ deadly an’ gorgeous you are. So when I see you in pants that show off that cute little..." He paused, "Yeah, those are more thoughts I need to stifle. But when I see plain as day what I've known all along, and everyone else can see it too...its like my body thought my brain was givin’ it permission."

"His knowledge of her was confirmed by others, therefore making him certain of it," River murmured, her pretty lips tilting down in a thoughtful frown as she mulled over his words. "Then her partner has always thought she was beautiful? Even when she was crazy?"

"No; then you were crazy and thinkin' on you woulda been like thinkin' on a child," Jayne shook his head hurriedly. "In my head, I knew you weren't a baby, haven't been for a while, but then? Wouldn't a been right thinkin' on you like that, it... the one time I..." He sighed, "Had a dream about you, about you bein' with me in my bunk, don't rightly remember what I dreamed about us doin', it was after we got Mal and Wash back from Niska, after I found out how you could shoot. But I woke up and I felt... wrong. Felt like I'd wronged you."

"He is not responsible for dreams," River had taken his hand in hers and tried to soothe him. "He is not the same man as the one who would have given me back on Ariel. Changed when he saw what they did to her brain. Changed when he asked Mal to lie about why he was dead."

"Yeah well between you and Book an'..." Jayne remembered he'd had to take a deep unsteady breath at the thought of Book. The shepherd had been his first true friend in a long time of being isolated. River was his second, and just as good, if a different kind of friend. "Like to think I wouldn't do something like that again."

"I know you wouldn't," River had smiled at him. "Jayne, I..." She blushed but she'd looked him in the eye. "Your thoughts don't ever bother me. Not even your dreams bother me. You're honest in your thoughts. You don't lie to yourself. I like that about you. Please don't... don't change who you are."

"Wouldn't be, just be tampin' it down some, so's my idiot body don't stand at attention every time you walk in the room or I get a whiff a your shampoo," Jayne muttered with a wry grin. "Can't keep sayin' 'I'll be in my bunk' for no other reason than you comin' in the room River. Somebody'd notice eventually."

Her giggle had been sweet and she'd smiled at him affectionately, "Maybe once you're used to seeing me in these clothes the effect will wear off. I will try to not take you by surprise though, if that will help?"

"Hell River, I don't expect you could be less tempting if you tried," He'd grinned at her and begun loading the dishes into the cleaner.

* * *

 

For going on more than a year he'd been hiding he wanted River from everyone on the crew. He'd hidden that he thought of her as a woman though he made it clear as he could that she was an adult in his eyes. He'd given her free rein of his guns and knives if what was in the armory didn't suit her for a job, taught her smithing and she'd helped him to read better. His writing had improved too, and that was thanks to her.

He'd done everything humanly possible and some things that were down right stupid, like giving the girl whiskey, because she was of age gorramit and she wanted to try some, in order to show the rest of the crew that she was an adult. And it wasn't just because he wanted her. He'd been thinking about that for a year now, more than that really if thinking and then shoving the thoughts deep down and away counted. Jayne Cobb had been thinking on River Tam ever since she got her brain back and turned into a dark angel killing the things that had featured in his every nightmare since he'd seen a town hit by Reavers. He'd only been sixteen but he'd been right, he never had seen any sight so awful as to match that godforsaken town. The only thing that had come close had been hearing what had been done to her.

And here they were, in almost the same situation as they'd been three years ago, coming up on a derelict ship and Mal was trying to say that it wasn't safe for River that she should stay on the boat. Like she wasn't more dangerous than Mal, Zoe and Jayne combined with Wash and Kaylee thrown in for good measure. Jayne sighed and River flicked an amused glance at him, winking to let him know that she'd win the argument in a minute.

She was right, she usually was, and Jayne really wasn't sure why Mal bothered to argue with her anymore. He'd certainly learned when to just give in and let her have her way. She only argued if she was certain of something, everything else, River was happy to step back and let others take care of their own business. She never tried to tell him how to hunt, or track, or smith for instance, and even though he'd taught her to cook, and she was probably better at it now than he was, she didn't ever question him in the kitchen either.

For a genius who could learn everything there was to know about something in less time than it took him to button his breeches she was amazingly circumspect (another River word) about horning in on other people's expertise. She never tried to pilot even though she'd been dying to and had cajoled Jayne into letting her fly the shuttle a few times when Mal wasn't paying attention. She didn't even approach Kaylee in the engine room or Simon in the infirmary. And even though Zoe was dealing with a pregnancy, River hadn't offered to take on any of the first mate's duties, though she was more than capable.

That was part of why no one wanted to see her as an adult, Jayne realized suddenly. It was such an abrupt thought he couldn't understand why he hadn't seen it before. Everyone felt threatened by her, by what she could do, she could replace every one of them with her learning and they didn't want that so they pretended she was still a little girl. Even though River knew that she would be a great technical pilot, she didn't have Wash's gift, could never be a leaf on the wind. She didn't have Kaylee's ability with engines, just the technical knowledge and she could stitch someone up but she'd never be the surgeon Simon was.

River looked at him as she won the argument with Mal. She and Jayne would be among the boarding party, but her eyes were sad. He'd figured out what she'd known for a very long time, and suddenly he was sorry that he'd been so gorram slow. He could have let her steal some more piloting time or played guard if she wanted to lie under Serenity's engine's like Kaylee did.

"Will not hear of my partner thinking he is slow," River's little hand slid into the crook of his elbow as if he were a gentleman to the lady she was. It was a habit she'd developed two years ago and he'd grown right fond of how her hand felt on his arm. "Not when he has subconsciously known the things that the others still deny in every part of their minds."

"It's a sad day when I'm the smartest of the lot of 'em," Jayne agreed and pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. "C'mon, I'll let you have your pick of the girls."

"Your girls like me better than you," River teased him. "My hands are softer."

"Are not," Jayne argued automatically, this was one of their games and he loved teasing her. "You got calluses on top a calluses with alla that dancin' and gymnast-icks and sword stuff you do."

"Still pretty little girl fingers, ladies like me better than the big man," River sing songed the words and Jayne uttered a mock growl of anger making her laughter rise up the open hatch of his bunk. "She will take her sword and axe, as well as Matilda. She misses me."

Jayne chuckled, "You may as well keep her River. You know her better than I do these days." He was picking up his chosen beauties and concealing them about his person. "Don't forget a knife or two." He was adding when River threw herself into his arms and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"You mean it Jayne? I can really keep her? But she's yours, you found her and fixed her and took care of her," River was babbling which was just as well because his brain was reeling from that kiss.

"Well," He said when he'd recovered enough to speak. "I guess by that line a reasonin' Simon found you an' he fixed you an' took care a you; that mean he's got the right to keep you in a box someplace 'til he cares to let you out?"

River's jaw dropped and she stared at him in amazement, "Yes." She nodded slowly. "That is...almost exactly..."

"Well that's gorram _wǒ kào_ ," Jayne spat the words out. "Matilda is yours. You love her; reckon that makes her yours as much as mine. But you cain't own a person like you can a gun, that ain't right." He was furious, muttering to himself about fool core notions and having a word with the doc about how he was treating his sister until River's soft (no matter what he argued she was right about that too) fingers settled over his lips.

"Partner is very thoughtful, and she, I, appreciate his intentions but they will not be needed," River smiled up at him. "Cannot put her back in the box because she won't go. Cannot turn back time. Cannot make me a child again."

"Go on and get your axe an' sword and don't forget your knives," Jayne told her gruffly. "Or Mal'll take into his head that he don't need his gun hands."

* * *

 

_**River** _

River took a deep breath of the derelict's half stale air and looked at Jayne. Her big partner was alert, almost painfully so, memories of a newborn Reaver attacking out of the darkness flooding his mind. "It's all right," She murmured. "I can hear... but the thoughts aren't the screaming of Reavers."

Jayne relaxed but minutely, and looked at Mal behind him, "Stay back anyway though," He cautioned the captain, nodding towards Zoe. "I still ain't easy 'bout her bein' here." Zoe being pregnant and doing her job was one thing, coming aboard a derelict when they didn't know who was on it was another thing entirely and it wasn't good sense. River agreed with her partner's thoughts but shunted them aside in favor of listening for the two minds she'd heard.

"They've sealed themselves into the captain's quarters below the bridge," She said after a moment. "One of them is very weak, she's barely conscious, the other..." River shook her head. "His mind is interesting."

"Interesting? Define interesting," Mal asked from behind them.

"Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?" River retorted using Wash's words. She wasn't being inaccurate though Mal took it as sarcasm. If this was done badly it could go very wrong. "Mal, I'm going to need you and Zoe to stay back. Jayne, please stay behind me."

"He's gonna see me as a threat no matter how much in front of me you stand River," Jayne reminded her quietly. Inside he was annoyed to stand behind her, didn't ever want her to feel she had to protect him on top of everyone else on the boat.

"That's not it," River shook her head, "I don't know what yet... but...I'm sorry it's just important."

"I know better than to argue," Jayne sighed. "I don't like it though." She felt his mind go to the kiss she'd given him once more, the tenth time in a half an hour and a sliver of delight slipped through her as his thoughts recalled the feel of her with pleasure.

"I know," She patted his upper arm consolingly; "I don't like it either. Partners stand beside each other." She cast her mind outward and a thrill of excitement trilled through her. There was something very familiar about the exhausted woman, her mind...

The captain's quarters lay beneath the bridge and past an antechamber that might have been the captain's mess or perhaps a common area for the crew. It reeked of blood and gore, ripped intestines and stomach acid, there were bodies everywhere, and only five of them had bullet wounds, all dead shots to the head. Jayne whistled in appreciation of the shooting and River's excitement grew.

She held up her hand and looked at Mal and Zoe when they paused in the door of the common room, "This is as far as the two of you go," River told them firmly. "Any closer...well the result would be unpleasant."

"I'm with you River," Jayne told her firmly when she turned to him. "You want me behind you I'm there but you ain't goin' near that door without me."

"All right," She nodded and smiled and had to keep herself from running at the door. Instead she approached it cautiously, though without her usual stealth, and taking her lead, Jayne didn't try to muffle his footsteps either.

"I'm guessin' we ain't catchin' anyone by surprise?" Jayne muttered the question and River shook her head in answer.

"He's heard us from the moment we set foot on the ship, before even. He heard Serenity out in the Black, touching on the derelict, vibrations through the ship as we docked. Just has no way to know we're friendly," River was doing something to the lock. "But the Reavers will be back in force once they think enough time has passed that they're weak enough to be taken. We don't have time for him to trust us entirely."

"That why you're pickin' the lock?" Jayne had a grin in his voice.

"Yep," She imitated his accent as the door slid open.

The room wasn't large, but it was dark. One pair of eyes gleaming silver, the other shining faintly; reflecting the emergency light from the hall where River and Jayne stood. The smell of blood was weaker, but it still created a tang in the air. And from the direction of the bright silver eyes was a very loud very deliberately intimidating growl. River ignored him and stepped in the door, her mind reaching for the woman who lay silent in the darkness. "River," Jayne's tone held worry and warning as she stared into the dark.

Her eyes were adjusting and she could see the outline of the man, hugely muscular though not as tall as Jayne, with his panther's gaze, standing in front of the woman, "Is she all right?" River flicked her eyes over to the man, Riddick was his name, more than that, it was his identity. "Did you have access to water in here?"

Another step forward was too much, he growled and he lunged for her, Jayne's hand grasped her collar and yanked her back out of reach, his arms wrapped around her like a living shield, "River."

At the same time, a woman's voice, familiar and still painfully young, cried out, "Riddick, don't." And the huge man stopped short, backing up until he was nearly beside the slender form on the bed.

"Jayne, either let me go or step forward with me but she has to see my face," River insisted as she tried to move and simply couldn't.

"You go, I go," Jayne muttered. And, oh he was angry; she could feel his heart pounding at her back, anger and fear for her and a readiness to slaughter anyone who would harm her. His partner, his friend, his... She let go of the thought, knowing he'd never take it any further. He'd been warned off too many times, been told he wasn't good enough far too often to ever think of her as anything beyond his... whatever she was to him.

"We go then," She murmured and raised her voice, "Jack?"

"I'm waiting," The voice was impossibly young and River shook her head, confused, until she recalled what Simon had told her of her first two weeks on Serenity.

Taking a deep breath she put her hands over Jayne's to hold them in place, "Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me."

And the voice she remembered from her days in the Academy held a smile, "I envy not, in any moods the captive void of noble rage." She shifted on the bed, River caught the impression of pain and the man Riddick's growl shifted and then eased. "River...this is Richard B. Riddick. Best just call him Rick."

"All right, though my Captain isn't so stupid that he won't recognize the most wanted man in the 'Verse, once he gets on the cortex," River shrugged. "This is my partner, Jayne Cobb. Jayne this is Jack. She's an old friend."

"How'd you find us?" Jack's voice was weak, and laughing still, "Still hearin' things?"

"How'd you know I'd come?" River retorted, "Still seeing things?"

" _Wǒ de mā_ ," Jayne's hands tightened on her possessively, "There's two of you?"

"There couldn't be two of me in the 'Verse," River teased him. "You told me once they broke the mold and the mold maker when they made me."

"I weren't wrong neither," Jayne muttered. He was looking at Riddick, "I 'spect if you put on them goggles I can see you got we can hold off on explanations for a while," He glanced back over his shoulder. "Do you need help with your girl?"

"No more than you do with yours," The voice was low and rasping, as if he'd been without water for days. But he slid his arms under Jack and gathered her up into his arms.

River caught a flash of her pain and moaned with the unexpectedness of it, reeling back against Jayne, " _Āi yā_."

"I gotcha," Jayne scooped her up. "Too much a that and you're going to fall right over." He shook his head and looked at Riddick. "Your girl's in pain. My partner's feelin' it. We got a doc back on the boat. Guess when your Jack feels better River will too."

He led the way back through the common area to Mal and Zoe and nodded at the captain, "We're all clear Mal. Gonna take these two back to Serenity and get Simon to look at them. River says they're both thirsty and the girl's hurt somehow, 's why River's gone wobbly."

"All right, you..." River nearly cursed her captain's stubborn stupidity as Mal gave Jayne a warning look and continued, "You get them fixed up and then I need you back here. We got salvage to be scavenged and if our luck holds we've got less than ten hours before the feds show up."

River groaned, "Will work on the fake ident as soon as my head allows Cap'n."

"Go on then," Mal jerked his head towards the way they'd come in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So this is a little something I started a few years back and finished up this year. The title has changed a couple times and eventually there'll be a prequel to it, though this can be read as a stand alone. It's a little odd, mostly because I started and stopped with it a bunch of times and I didn't have a really clear plot except to want some of the problems from Chronicles and Serenity fixed.
> 
> Some of the folks aren't going to come off as nice as they do in my other stories. And I'm definitely taking some liberties with canon history in places. I hope you'll enjoy it. I was over a hundred fifty pages in and figured I'd better finish it out and start posting it. After all that work, might as well. So have fun!
> 
> I'll be posting this a bit less often than my other story, mostly because they both need editing before they're fit to view. But the story is finished so it will be complete posted eventually.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> wǒ kào (crap!)
> 
> Wǒ de mā (My mother!/Oh my God)
> 
> Āi yā (interjection of wonder, shock or admiration)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me – Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
> 
> I envy not, in any moods the captive void of noble rage – In Memoriam – Alfred, Lord Tennyson


	2. Two

_**Riddick** _

Riddick wasn't sure what to make of the man and woman, other than the man was fiercely protective of the woman, and damn fast. There were maybe two men in the 'Verse who were fast enough to pull someone out of Riddick's reach and he'd just met a third. Slightly taller than he was, and just as muscular... and apparently he had decent eyesight if he'd been able to see the goggles and Jack in the darkness.

He had the woman's scent all over him, and she had his, but he could tell the two of them weren't intimate. The woman, River, had an odd base scent, blood and steel, silk over laying it and tendrils of apples. She reminded him of Jack in a way though Jack smelt of peaches instead of apples and Jack had very little blood in her scent. Steel though, and silk, but not much. Jack was like brown sugar while the woman River smelt of honey. The man Jayne, and what kind of a name was that, smelled of steel, gun oil, clover and stone under all of it. The two strangers were so close their scents had mingled, the steel was the same.

And the woman, River, knew Jack somehow, they knew each other well enough to have a password acknowledgement system in place. Which meant there was a lot that Jack hadn't told him in the six months since the crash. Of course there was a lot he hadn't told her, and they had been on the run pretty much ever since they'd gotten into the shipping lanes. The derelict they'd been on had been the last in a lengthy line of ships that they'd spent time on and then ditched when it looked like the Alliance was getting too close. Riddick was dead on Hades but anyone who had paid any attention to the news feeds might recognize him. And Jack was on the run from something she didn't talk about but she woke up at night smelling of fear like spoiled cherries, clinging to him and weeping. Her shame smelt like burnt almonds and he hated how the scent clung to her; burnt almonds and rotting cherries until he wanted to kill whatever had made her so afraid. Right now her pain was like red peppercorns in his nose and he hated the smell of it.

The big man Jayne was so loaded with weapons it seemed like he should have been stooping with the weight of them, while the woman he carried wore a sword and axe along with a Ladysmith pistol. Both of them seemed to know exactly where they were going, no mean feat considering the maze like nature of the adapted ship and the fact that they'd been aboard all of twenty minutes.

He wouldn't have pegged the big gun hand for having too much of a brain but it was obvious that the woman wasn't calling the shots now. She smelt like pain, an overly sweet orange citrus that didn't go well with her normal scent and he could hear her gasps for breath. "C'mon River," Jayne's voice was an anxious murmur. "Just hang in there for me _bàng jiār_. Simon'll fix her right up and then you'll feel better."

"What's wrong with her?" Riddick asked, his voice rasping. "I can't smell any injury but she's in pain."

"Your girl is in pain is what's wrong," Jayne didn't bother to look over his shoulder. "My partner's a Reader. When ya picked your girl up, the pain was big nuff that River felt it too." His long legs forced Riddick to move faster as he strode through the big ship.

"There's no such thing as Readers," Riddick rolled his eyes behind his goggles and blinked against the sudden light of the ship he could hear docked with the derelict.

"Not exactly accurate Rick," Jack's voice was a whisper. "God, this really hurts...and I can't...control it enough to..."

"Don' worry 'bout that none," Jayne's voice was soothing. "She knows you can't help it, no more'n I can when I get shot." He stepped into the airlock and Riddick watched as the woman's slender hand reached forward and expertly keyed in a sequence of numbers and letters.

"What's the password," The core voice was a surprise, especially coming from the beat up Firefly.

Jayne's voice was rough but the words he spoke were a shock, "And the night shall be filled with music and the cares that infest the day, shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, and as silently steal away."

Riddick looked at him as he drew abreast of the man, "Little long for a password isn't it?"

"Nope," The core man's voice was relaxed as he opened the door to the ship, "That's the one lets me know I don't shoot anyone with them. The bad one is just Longfellow."

"Nice," Riddick could appreciate that even if he was amazed that the big man could remember that much poetry at once.

"What seems to be the trouble River?" Simon touched the delicate looking woman's forehead gently.

"Jack is hurt, broken leg," River whispered. "The pain overwhelms."

Riddick didn't quite stare but he did give her a sharp look. The core man didn't question her though; he simply nodded and gestured for them all to follow him. Riddick followed him through the cargo bay and up a set of stairs, through some sort of lounge and into one of the shiniest med bay's he'd seen that wasn't on an Alliance ship. "You got someone who can check her leg is healing?" He muttered, "That'd be a help."

"Yes," The clipped tones were utterly correct, "Put her on the table and get any excess cloth off her." He looked at Jayne, "I'll need you to put River down and give me a hand holding her. If the bone isn't set correctly I'll need your help."

Jayne looked rebellious and Riddick growled low in his throat, "I might not put my knowledge of anatomy to the best use but I know gorram well how to set a bone. She hasn't had any sign of embolisms or even clots. Jack's bone needs healing but she doesn't need it re-broken and reset."

The core man was busy taking Jack's boots and blanket off since Riddick wouldn't, "Jayne, give me a hand." He commanded pulling out a bag of doctor tools, "If your new pal is right all I'll need is a mender injected into the bone. It'll hurt like hell but she'll heal in couple weeks."

"No," Riddick shook his head, "Nobody touches Jack but me, and the doc." He slanted a glance at the core man, "I'm guessing you're a doc? Or you're helluva thief to get a MedAcad doc’s bag." He wouldn't have even let the core man touch her except he could tell none of these people were lying about him being a doctor and Jack needed medical attention.

"I'm a trauma surgeon," He was told casually. "Put one hand on her hip, the other just below her knee and don't let her move." The doctor slid a screen over Jack's thigh and frowned, "It is set very nicely, and seems to be healing. But she's calcium deficient and that's inhibiting cell regeneration." He reached into his bag and nodded at Riddick, "I can't do this through her pants, so you'll have to either cut them off her or take them off her somehow."

Jack objected when Riddick pulled out a shiv, "No, just...help me take them off. I've only got the one pair."

"Cut 'em off her," Jayne's voice was calm. "She's got a few inches on River but between scavenging the derelict and what we got here, we can find your girl a new pair of pants." When Jack objected Jayne gave her a hard stare, "My partner's got the equal of a three day migraine 'cause a your busted leg. More pain you're in the worse it is for her."

Simon nodded firmly, "Any allergies that you know of? Any medications you can't take?" He was readying another syringe as he spoke.

River answered softly, "Can't give her anything with an antipsychotic in it, no ziprasidone or raspiradone. And she's allergic to roses." And if that wasn't a kick in the pants, Riddick didn't know what was. How the little woman knew Jack's allergies was a mystery he was keen to solve.

"River maybe you should leave if you're reading her that easily," The core doctor wasn't happy that the little woman had answered his question though Riddick was pleased that someone could because he sure as hell didn't know that Jack was allergic to any medications or roses for that matter.

"I'm not reading her now," River shook her head. "You can give her the smoother Simon, it'll dull the pain and she'll be able to sleep."

Riddick watched as the needle slid gently into Jack's arm, and she sighed, relaxing as the medicine took effect, "Better now?" He took her hand and wrapped it in his so she had something to hang onto.

"Yeah," Her voice was weak. "Prolly pass out in a bit, no food, dehydration, injuries. You should get some rest too. Gotta move soon right?"

"You won't be moving anywhere, either of you, not for a while," The core doc shook his head as he began injecting Jack's thigh with thicker needles. "I'm going to set up a drip with fluids and nutrients for both of you. We've got to get you both hydrated and healthy before you can go anywhere." He continued to examine Jack and frowned as he pushed up her shirt and saw the scars on her side.

Riddick tilted his head as the woman, River, visibly relaxed as Jack succumbed to the smoother, her pain was fading, the citrus smell leaving her just as the scent of pepper was leaving Jack. It finally felt like he could take a breath. "How long until she's up and about," He asked finally. "We don't have months here you know."

"At least three weeks before her leg is fully healed," The doctor said after he'd injected her at several more sites along the bone. "I'm Simon, by the way, River's brother," He pulled off his gloves and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you've met River and Jayne."

"Yeah, they're the ones who found us," Riddick nodded. "If you're looking for salvage, I've got a few ideas of where the goods'd be."

"That'd be helpful if we didn't have a cortex genius figured it out already," The big gun hand Jayne smirked at him. "Stay with your girl and rest," He looked down at River in his arms, "River, how's your head?"

"Much better now. Ready to help with scrounging before the Reavers come back, I’ll get the ident ready and head back over a few minutes after you," River grinned.

"One day, twelve hours, thirty six minutes," Jack muttered. "Not a lot of time. River, make sure you get my case. I need it. Rick always makes sure I've got my case."

"Where is it," Jayne was frowning while Riddick just stared at Jack. A lot of things to talk about when she woke up.

"I know Jayne," River patted him and that must have been the signal to put her down because he let her slide out of his arms without a protest. "Rick, is there anything you need? What cabin were the two of you in?"

"My things'll be right next to Jack's," Riddick told her still not entirely sure he believed this Reader thing.

"Will make sure they are picked up then," River smiled and began to tug the big gun hand out of the med bay.

Riddick watched them go and regarded the doctor warily when Simon approached him with an IV, "Do your worst Doc."

* * *

 

_**Jack** _

Jack opened her eyes and shivered in the cold ship air, "Hmm..." She tried to roll over only to be stymied by the stupid brace around her right leg. It had been a week and she wasn't allowed to walk on it even with crutches. To be fair that was mostly because she'd also picked up an infection and she'd been dopey from the pain and antibiotics and smoothers and couldn't do much but lie flat on her back and babble mindlessly about things she shouldn't talk about.

"Hey Jack," The biggest badass in the 'Verse was sitting next to her bed, gently petting her hand, his deliberate way of speaking filling her ears. Most folks might find it disturbing, intimidating or threatening but he'd always sounded right to her. He didn't talk Rim or Border like she did but his accent wasn't coldly elegant for all that it was pretty correct. "You with me there _niū niu_."

"I'm not a little girl Rick," She protested the nickname as she had every other time. "You don't even know how old I am."

"You can't be more than fourteen," He chuckled at her. His low rich voice was back, water and food doing wonders for the sound of it. He'd probably slept finally too. At his most relaxed his voice could sound like coffee and caramel in her ears. And when he was furious, what he'd call the animal came out, his gorgeous tones a dark growl. And if she let herself she'd sit here thinking about his voice and they wouldn't talk about what they needed to.

"Yeah well you'd be wrong about that," Jack shook her head, "Can you help me sit up? I really do need to talk to you about this."

"Figured we'd have to talk on some things," Riddick nodded. "Like how you know that woman River." His big hands were gentle and exquisitely careful as he helped her sit up against the pillows and wall.

"She's smaller than me but you call her a woman," Jack rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"She smells like one, you don't," Riddick shrugged and she struggled to not show just how much that comment hurt. She knew there was something wrong with her, her body didn't match her age, but if she didn't know why, how could she explain?

"Jack struggles," River's voice was gentle, soothing in the way it always had been until she'd gone mad with something she'd heard in another person's mind. The shoji door slid open and she entered the guestroom without waiting for permission. "My Jayne stands guard so that no one will overhear," She explained her partner's absence.

Jack remembered the big man, big enough to make her nervous, and the way he'd held River as if she was the most precious thing in the 'Verse to him. Everything was jumbled up, things she'd seen, things that had happened, "River... tell him please, how old I am?"

"Jack is twenty-one solar cycles," River said promptly. "Looks like a child because of what they did to her."

"They? They who?" Riddick's voice was an angry growl and Jack shook her head and reached for his hand again.

"Must listen to the story so he will understand," River took a seat on the chest at the foot of Jack's bed so they could both look at her without anyone's neck straining. Jack smiled as River told of how she'd gone to the Academy and how her brother Simon had broken her out. "Impetus for the Academy to be moved, and the other children also broken free. Fourteen when I went in, seventeen when I came out. Jack was fifteen when we met, we'd come to the school at the same time. Got out a year after me," She smiled sadly and Jack felt like crying. River's gift was tied to her depth of empathy, of expression. She read emotions and thoughts and because of how much she felt personally she could understand what everyone else was feeling and thinking. It made her a wonderful dancer and artist. It had also made her life hell.

"What did they do to Jack?" Riddick wanted to know and she tightened her fingers on his. "Why was she there?"

"I am what my captain calls a Reader, technically I'm an Empath, and a receiving Telepath," River shrugged. "I can hear your thoughts, know your feelings, and I'm slightly precognitive. And in order to create the perfect Reader and assassin, they stripped my amygdala."

"But that would make you crazy," Riddick shook his head. "Obviously you aren't."

"Genius," River reminded him of the pertinent part of her earlier story. "Genius brain created work arounds until I Read something that made my mind splinter it was so horrifying. It was like having a needle shoved into my brain. Everything that touched it...set off...episodes. Once it was removed...I was fine. Or as fine as I'd ever be."

"So what did they do to Jack then?" Riddick wasn't about to let his question go unanswered. "If she was a Reader she wouldn't ever have trusted me, or cried over Johns."

"Might have," River shrugged. "I find you trustworthy. But I know Jack. And Jack was at the Academy for a different reason than I was."

"I always knew things," Jack began her part of the story quietly. "I knew 'bout things that happened worlds away. I saw things, dreamed them, an' after the Academy I could see when I was awake. It's called Clairvoyance and I've got it in spades. Like River I'm a little precognitive. Just enough to give me warnin' if something bad will happen." She tilted her head and found Riddick looking at her curiously, a half grin on his face. "For instance, I know that right now, the captain and his first mate are arguing about where to put us off the boat. Persephone or somewhere sooner."

River nodded, "Riddick can hear them. Jack can't but Riddick can, so he knows that she tells the truth." She smiled sadly, "They also argue about the best way to discourage River and Jayne from developing any deeper of a relationship, or if its even needful."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "I saw that he's been worryin' 'bout that, when I was asleep...I dreamed about him in a battle, you were fightin', afraid an' he was hollering at some black woman. A man was there, with red hair, his arm was missing. He was gonna bleed to death. And you sealed 'em in a hallway an' stayed out in the antechamber alone, fightin'."

"Yes," River nodded. "On Mr. Universe's moon, kept the Reavers off Mal while he fought the Operative and sent out the Miranda wave," She sighed. "They keep telling Jayne he's not good enough for me."

"Seems like he's the only one on the boat with a prayer of keeping up with you," Riddick's voice was a drawl of humor. "But none of that explains why Jack is twenty one and looks like she's fourteen."

"The first two weeks I was on Serenity, Simon was finally able to do a thorough exam," River began to explain. "He found a hormone inhibitor, a regulator, implanted in my side. It kept me from maturing." She looked at Jack, "Part of why you haven't filled out. The other part is that you're half starved." She gestured at her own slim curves, "Of Chinese descent, partially, I'll never have breasts or hips like Kaylee or Zoe. But I did develop more once Simon removed the inhibitor. He put me on a contraceptive so that my cycles wouldn't come but everything else would develop naturally. Poor Simon. He was appalled especially when he figured out what they'd done to me..." She met Jack's gaze, "To us, whenever something didn't go the way Doctor Mathias planned."

"How'd you deal with it?" Jack asked quietly, "I disguised myself as a boy since I looked enough like one anyway."

"Therapy," River shrugged. "More self hypnosis, like you and I did. That really did work. You’ll sprout all at once, feel starved and moody but after you stabilize you’ll be done growing in about six months. I can help you with it if you like, I downloaded texts and I've gotten my degree in psychology."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jack nodded. "Who'd know better than you," She could feel Riddick's eyes on her face and his expression was like thunder.

"Somebody I need to kill?" Was all he asked, his voice mild.

River shrugged, "The Operative killed Mathias. Jayne and I had a little spree when we visited Ariel last time. That orderly that was always fondling us?" Jack felt her eyebrows go up and River nodded, "Jayne doesn't hold with any sort of wrongful touching of womenfolk or children. He was very displeased. Broke every bone in the man's body before I opened up the carotid."

"Good," Jack scowled. "So when can I get the hormone thing out of me? It'd be nice to look my age, especially if they're lookin’ for a fourteen-year-old kid still."

"Do you want Simon to know?" River asked with a frown. "I don't keep secrets from Jayne, but I will from Simon if you'd rather I did the procedure."

"How safe is it?" Riddick wanted to know, "And how good are you compared to your brother?"

"Jayne's better at stitching, but I'm better at removing bullets and shrapnel of all types," River replied promptly. "We could do it tonight. I'll dose Simon's tea so he sleeps after dinner."

A low whistle sounded in the hallway and River jumped up, "Have to go. Will bring you some skirts Jack, so you can get up and have a meal with us."

Jack watched as her oldest friend disappeared out of the door, "She was always so...kind." She whispered. "Even when they were torturing us...and they were good at that, she was always kind to me."

"Why'd you end up there? I mean what was their excuse for you?" Riddick's thumb was rubbing over her knuckles in a caress that made her dizzy. It was odd to mentally want someone, to feel such longing for him and have no physical response to back it up. No wonder he thought she was a child if she wasn't even developing yet. She couldn't respond as a woman because that thing they'd stuck in her wouldn't let her become one.

"I...well I'm smart, and I got a scholarship to study mechanical engineering, astro-mechanics, that sorta thing," Jack smiled. "Part of why I loved to see the engine rooms of all the ships we've sailed. I like to see what the engineers figured out or what short cuts they've developed. This ship? I can tell from the way she feels underfoot that she's got a mechanic loves her an' understands her." Jack sighed, "I wanted to design engines, wanted my own boat to keep runnin' one day. I was just a border world kid, nobody special but I was good with machines and' my test scores caught someone's eye."

"And your scholarship took you to hell," Riddick surmised and surprised her by kissing the back of her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Jack."

"Pleasure's all mine Mr. Rick," She smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So now you know why Jack looks so much younger than River even though they’re contemporaries. I always figured that the Academy wouldn’t have any scruples about body manipulation if they were willing to carve into someone’s brain.
> 
> There was a little confusion over whether or not Jack had gotten a shine job due to her eyes reflecting light when they found her. She has not gotten a shine job. Human eyes will reflect any light slightly, because like animals we have tapetum lucidum behind the retina, but whereas Riddick’s are a bright silver, similar to a cat’s, hers are more faint. It’s the same reason people’s eyes shine red in phots if they’re looking directly at the flash.
> 
> Chinese Translation:
> 
> bàng jiār (partner/lover)
> 
> niū niu (little girl)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> And the night shall be filled with music and the cares that infest the day, shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, and as silently steal away. – The Day Is Done – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


	3. Three

**Jayne**

Jayne was not a happy camper. Not only had his sharp ears caught every single word of River's conversation with Jack and Riddick, but on the heels of that and the disturbing news that Simon had just left other kids to suffer in that hell hole, Mal had called him up to the bridge for a 'chat'.

Simon had been there and he'd given Jayne one of those looks the doc specialized in, the 'I like you okay but you're no where near good enough for my sister so this has to be done' look that let him know as Simon left that he was in for another lecture from Mal.

The lecture didn't come though, instead what came was a command to fetch his guitar because they could all use a little music and maybe that would get the two passengers feeling relaxed enough that they'd come out of that room without the promise of food.

He'd liked the idea of music, River loved his guitar and begged to be taught to play it which he'd been trying, but for a woman with all sortsa manual dexterity she couldn't get her fingers to stretch over the strings. He'd suggested a banjo or violin and it was something she was looking into.

But the evening of music had ended up being a thinly veiled lecture in and of itself. River had gone from dancing with her brother and Kaylee to sitting beside him fuming so loud he could almost hear her thoughts. And now, a week later, the chorus of the song Zoe'd sung wouldn't leave him. It was an old song, maybe all the way from Earth That Was and it cut right to the bone when he'd realized she was talking about him. He hummed the chorus in spite of himself and sang as he cleaned up the cargo bay,

" _But fate's got cards that it don't want to show_  
 _And that boy's just_  
 _A walkaway Joe_  
 _Born to be a leaver_  
 _Tell you from the word go, destined to deceive her_  
 _He's the wrong kind of paradise_  
 _She's gonna know it in a matter of time_  
 _That boy's just a walkaway Joe..._ "

"That's downright depressing," Riddick's voice said from the stairs. "Doesn't bode well for them thinking well of me does it."

"They ain't figured you out yet," Jayne told him quietly. "River's got references to ya blocked on the cortex," He smirked at the thought of his partner putting one over on the captain and shrugged. "I think they're gonna decide to let you off on Persephone. We got a contact there, might be able to put you in a job a sorts. Don't trust him, not even as far as you or me could throw him, an' you'll be all right."

"It's been a week since that little sing along," Riddick folded his arms, leaning against a crate. "You really taking what they said to heart?"

"Are you?" Jayne shot back with a snarl of his own that would rival anything Riddick could produce. "Don't think I missed the little 'talk' Mal had with you about little girls and men twice their age. You were practically bunking with the girl and now you're awake all hours of the night to avoid being in the same room with her."

"It's different, she still looks like a kid," Riddick shook his head. "And from what River said the sprouting all at once is damn uncomfortable."

"But she's not a kid, no more'n River is for all that she's a tiny little thing," Jayne retorted. "We've got another week to Persephone and she's already..." He made an hourglass shape with his hands and Riddick growled at him this time. "I'm not blind," The gun hand rolled his eyes. "She's your girl but she ain't a girl anymore or she won't be for much longer."

"I'm still ten years older than her, and the most wanted man in the 'Verse," Riddick shook his head.

"Then you've got no business lecturin' me 'bout my inadequacies when you're set on keepin' your own," Jayne shot back. "Now River an' me are gonna spar and we don't care if you watch so long as you don't interfere."

"You're sparring with that little girl?" Riddick rolled his eyes and sat down on the steps.

"Not a little girl," River's voice was cool as she passed him on the stairs. Jayne smiled as she passed Riddick and the man's jaw dropped at the sight of her legs, ass and hips and the perfect curves on display. River had learned that if she fought with Jayne he'd use any advantage and loose clothes were something he could grab and use against her.

Now she wore tight spandex shorts and a shirt of the same fabric, it left her arms bare and most of her legs. Jayne took a deep breath and shot Riddick a look, "Your tonsils are showin' shine boy." He snapped.

River giggled and threw herself into his arms, "My partner is so gentlemanly." She kissed his cheek.

"Now that ain't fair, usin' your feminine wiles on me," Jayne groaned as her body rubbed against his. "You gonna torment me all night or are we gonna fight?"

"Can't I do both?" River didn't let go of him and he sighed.

"Woman you're gonna get me spaced if Mal sees ya," He didn't let go of her though, not until her grasp loosened and then her body slid down his.

He took a moment to stretch, fighting with River wasn't like a bar fight where he didn't need to be properly warmed up, this would be work, and he loved it. River fighting was a thing of beauty, an elegant sword of a woman, moving like a great cat he'd seen on the cortex. And sparring with her was one of his greatest pleasures.

So he and River went at each other again and again, neither winning or losing, until the last round when he pinned her and her legs wrapped around his neck and dragged him back. Her foot was under his chin as she demanded he yield.

Jayne grinned up at her and nodded before he grabbed her foot and pulled her down on top of him, rolling so he was pinning her to the mat. If he'd been thinking of anything but how beautiful she looked he would never have done it. And if anyone but Riddick had been watching they would have gotten caught, with Jayne giving River his first kiss since he was fourteen. But Riddick had been watching and he'd called out sharply that someone was coming.

And Jayne had rolled off of River and thought of Reavers and the Academy in an effort to calm his blood. River had lain on the mat for a moment before rolling gracefully to her feet and extending her hand to help him up. He'd grinned and let her and let the moment pass as he climbed to his feet and moved to his weight bench. River had begun her martial exercises and he hadn't dared join her.

Mal had wandered down to the bay and observed the three of them, Riddick standing and toeing off his boots to follow River in the flowing movements of kung fu. Jayne would normally have joined her, but with Mal watching he didn't dare. He'd stepped too close to the line in the last few weeks, been warned off a few too many times. If Mal caught him looking at River's legs or her back or worse her _pì gu_ he'd end up out the airlock without a suit in the Blackest part of the Black.

So he stayed on his bench and waited and waited until Mal got bored and went away again. Only then could he get up and join River. He'd spot for her when she was done and then they'd both cool down before getting cleaned up.

"The captain grows more...inquisitive about our sparring," River murmured as they finished the exercises and she moved to the weight bench. "I am finding it tiresome."

Jayne frowned down at her, "Deliberate remember? Up and down, with control. Mind controls the body River." He reminded her before he looked in the direction of the bunks, "You ain't the only one tired of bein' treated like this." He knew he was miles of unworthy, and chances were he'd only lose the best thing to ever happen to him if he had kissed her but that was pretty much for River to say, not anyone else. But there wasn't much else he could say, until River told them to keep their noses out of whatever it was between him and her, he was stuck.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that," Riddick wanted to know. The escaped convict was doing chin ups on the lower bars of the catwalk.

"The Academy taught me some, the rest I taught myself," River shrugged. "We were all schooled in combat."

"River don't even gotta look at a fella to hit 'em between the eyes," Jayne boasted of his partner's skill and was pleased to see her blush over his praise.

"So could Jack do that too?" Riddick asked speculatively.

"If she's given a proper weapon," River had a shrug in her voice. "Jack and I trained together, she's just as good a shot as I am. Better with a sniper rifle than a pistol though she's very good with a pistol. Five dead Reavers outside your room, all with center forehead shots."

"How about knives," Riddick asked.

"Why don't you just ask me?" Jack's voice was a little irritated but since she was going through what River had explained was compressed adolescence and hypnotherapy and physiotherapy at the same time she always sounded a little irritated. Jayne made a point of figuring out what foods she liked and fixed them as often as possible. When River was irritated having her favorite things was a comfort, he hoped it was the same for her friend.

"Thought you were restin," Riddick said unrepentantly.

Jayne tilted his head to look at Jack and smiled, "She looks like she could kick your ass Rick. Better be nice to her."

"I'm not mad, just hungry 'n' achy an' my _gāi sǐ_ leg itches," Jack groused. "I can use a knife pretty well, though obviously I've been hiding what I can do for so long... it's hard to think of it objectively."

"I got some targets I can set up," Jayne offered as he took the barbell from River. "Me an' River throw sometimes."

"That'd be fun," Jack nodded and hopped down the steps.

Jayne nodded and went to get the targets, once he'd gotten them set up River had provided Jack with a set of knives. He'd had a lot of fun ribbing Riddick about how good the women were with the blades. "Thought you were the king of shivs," He chuckled.

"I am," Riddick had rolled his eyes, "Jack why didn't you say anything about how you can shoot or use a shiv while we were stuck on Hades?"

"No one would have believed me," Jack shrugged. "The hunting boomerang worked well for a while until it got so mired down with all those things that it didn't come back. No one even noticed I had it or was killing those things. Not even you."

"I had my back to you half the time Jack, how was I supposed to see that?" Riddick had shaken his head.

"Thought you were the biggest badass in the 'Verse," Jack retorted. "But you didn't notice the little girl playing with sharp things?"

"Noticed you were a girl, which was more than anyone else did," Riddick shot back.

"All right you two, separate corners," Jayne shook his head. "Rick, help her up the stairs and get her in bed, she breaks that leg again Mal won't let her stay on the boat for doctorin'."

River sighed and kissed Jack's cheek, "My Jayne is right. Time for all of us to rest."

"Why don't you sleep up in crew quarters anyhow?" Jack asked as Riddick helped her up.

"That'd mean their precious core princess was a woman, not a little girl," Jayne growled the words out angrily. "And she'd be sleepin' in a room with a lock she could encrypt. They wouldn't be able to control her."

"Jayne has the right of it," River shrugged. "But if Jack needs me at least I'm nearby," She kissed Jayne on the cheek and followed the two passengers to the guest quarters.

Jayne groaned and left everything as it was, he could clean up in the morning, if Mal didn't like it he could lump it.

* * *

 

**River**

River was sitting in her bunk and mending a pair of her toe shoes when Jayne came in. She couldn't help but look up and smile at her partner; it seemed he always brought the sun with him; his very presence made her feel better.

"River what's wrong," Jayne sat on the end of the couch and tapped her ankle with one thick yet still nimble finger. "Quiet tonight."

She looked at him and knew he'd understand, he was the only one who would, "Get crew pay, but not a crew bunk. Full day's work, two years after Miranda, still not considered an adult. Never will be."

"Hey, I know you're grown," Jayne protested. "Iffen this is about me grabbin' ya back from Jack on the derelict, well anybody coulda seen Rick was fixin' to gut you if you went any closer."

River shook her head, "Not about my partner. I know you see me as an adult." She shifted and moved closer to him, curling her fingers around his wrist. "You wouldn't work with me if you didn't. Wouldn't let me borrow your girls."

"Nope," Jayne's hand hadn't moved since she'd touched him. "So who's givin' you problems? I'll straighten 'em out."

River's smile came without a thought, "Counterproductive to have partner speak for her." She said softly, "Captain, Zoe and Simon will always see me as the broken doll from the box. Kaylee and Wash won't gainsay them. Never allowed to be a woman." She looked at him and knew her smile was sad, "Planning to leave when we get to Persephone."

Jayne shook his head, "They know yet?" He was clearly referring to Simon and Mal. "Because if you go, I go too. You're the only one on the boat that trusts me River."

River shook her head, "If they knew I'd be locked up and drugged."

He frowned fiercely, "Not lettin' that happen." His hand tightened around hers. "I'll kill someone before I'll let 'em dope you up again."

She squeezed back, "This is why we're partners. I have a plan if Jayne is willing."

Her partner shrugged and offered her a half smile, "Well your plans are always better than mine."

His trust in her felt like the whiskey he'd let her taste once, burning through her body like a fire, "Captain is planning on dropping Rick and Jack off on Persephone." She began slowly, "Jayne quits at the same time. Cite whatever reasons he likes, lack of trust, tired of the life, doesn't matter. Will give you my weapons, blades and my girls to take with you." She tilted her head, "Before you leave I'll throw a fit and hide in one of my old places. I'll sneak out before Serenity departs. Get us passage to Beylix."

"Why Beylix," Jayne tilted his head back at her. "Not that I'm objectin'."

River heard Riddick before he spoke and her hand tightened on Jayne's so that he wouldn't pull his gun and aim it at Riddick, "She's planning on doin' what her captain did. Find an old boat and fix it up." He came into River's room, Jack leaning on his arm and shut the door behind him, "Just one problem."

"And what's that shine boy?" Jayne frowned up at the man. He pointed at a chair, "Siddown Jack, that leg's still weak." To her credit Jack didn't argue, the brace had only come off that morning, she just sat in the chair rubbing her thigh absently.

"Dunno how much your woman knows about mechanics or engineering or ship building," Riddick shrugged. "But she's gonna need know how."

River shrugged in return, "Have knowledge, but I'm not particularly gifted." She looked at Jack, "Jack is on par with Kaylee and a genius to boot." She grinned at her friend, "Would my sister like to be included in the plan?"

"I would," Jack was folding her arms, "But not without Riddick."

Jayne frowned at River, "Not sure I like the idea of two strangers 'round River." He looked at the two strangers in question, "Even knowin' that River knows Jack, I don't know you Rick. An' she's my partner."

"Riddick is mine," Jack shook her head. "We've been on the run together for six months."

River took her hand from his and slid a bit closer, putting her hand on his shoulder, "It is a good plan my Jayne. Riddick is a pilot. I can fly but he is a pilot. Jack is an engineer. I can husk anything. Jayne is the best hunter and tracker I've ever known. I've seen you learn...anything I had to teach, you always grasp it. A fine mind hidden behind your deliberately gruff manners. We have all the makings of a crew right here."

"What you don't wanna hire a cook?" Jayne quipped and put his hand under her chin. "Tell me why you can trust him River."

"Don't know him, but for what I Read," River smiled at her partner. "But I know Jack. And she trusts him. We can trust him."

Jack grinned, "He saved my life." She smiled at Riddick and River could feel just how much her friend already adored the wicked man who'd nearly left her but didn't. "Rejoined the human race."

"We could do this," River said softly. "Please Jayne."

"Hell River, if you're in I'm in," Jayne sighed. "I'd never forgive myself if somethin' happened an' I wasn't watchin' your back. Minute you said you were leavin' you had ta known I'd follow you."

River leaned against him and sighed, "Everyone must leave now though, refine the plan over the next day or so. If Simon catches someone in my room I'll end up doped."

Jayne's growl was furious at the thought but he kissed her forehead and rose from the foot of her bed. Riddick grabbed Jack and carried her out of the room. Jayne looked at her and shook his head, "We're gonna talk tomorrow River."

"Yes, my Jayne," She smiled up at him. "Rest now," She stood on tiptoe. "I will look forward to the day when we are not on Serenity and we may do as we like."

"Might take some time," Jayne was still trying to be gallant and at that moment River wasn't sure if she wanted to shake him or kiss him. "Hard to shake some habits River."

"But he will try," River looked up at her partner and knew he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But as always someone, something, prevented him. If she didn't send him on his way, she'd be too doped to do anything about escaping Serenity in the next few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Okay, so here we are... We're almost done setting up the problem and what will lead to more conflict. Hope you're enjoying.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)


	4. Four

_**Riddick** _

Riddick wasn’t sure exactly when he’d started liking Jayne Cobb, he knew that wasn’t the man’s real name though the gun hand had worn it so long the lie was thin with use. Maybe it was the protective way the bigger man was around the womenfolk, or maybe it was how casually he would do things that helped Jack, like making sure she had enough food on her plate.

He’d been standing in his skin scrubbing at the bloodstains on his pants when Jayne, on River’s prodding apparently, had poked his head in the dorm and rolled his eyes. “Here, River says you need these more’n I do. Gimme those an’ the shirt. I’ll wash ‘em with mine.” He’d thrown Riddick a pair of cargo pants and a teeshirt.

Riddick had found himself nodding and catching the dry clothes while Jayne reached out and snagged the dirty ones. “Got some coin, since I doubt you’ll want ‘em back,” He’d offered and the gun hand had just waved him off.

“They’re too short for me anyhow,” Jayne had told him. “Might fit you better since I got an inch or two on ya. Got weights an’ a bench out in the bay iffen ya wanna work out.”

That had been three days into their stay on _Serenity_. The workings and interpersonal relationships on the ship were interesting for a man who hadn’t spent much time around people until the last six months. The captain was very much in charge of the boat and expected everyone to pull their weight. Chores were assigned and rotated though Riddick had noticed that somehow every week when they were posted Simon’s name was scribbled out of the cooking slot and someone else’s written in. Once it was Mal’s name and Simon had gotten stuck with helping the pilot scrub out the head.

The first mate was pregnant, she smelt of growing life and if she hadn’t been dangerous before that would have made her doubly so. Riddick made a point of staying away from pregnant women, they were unpredictable and he didn't care for that. The pilot was an odd little man with a state of the art prosthetic arm and a penchant for cracking jokes at odd times. He was plainly devoted to his wife and a hell of a pilot. Though Riddick had to wonder who’d flown the ship after the man had first lost his arm since the smell of it was relatively recent.

The mechanic was a sunny little thing, cheerful as a bowl of strawberries and just as sweet. She was unrelentingly happy and it had grated on his nerves after a bit until Jack had said something. Just because Kaylee was happy by nature didn’t mean she hadn’t seen darkness. She and the doc were tight, wound up in each other with courting behavior and if it hadn’t been for his superior senses he would have walked in on them sexing in the engine room.

Jayne and River were the interesting ones, no matter how far apart in distance, the two of them still had pieces of the other’s scent stuck to them, that steel was a common bond. Out of curiosity he’d asked Jack what sort of weapons Jayne had and she’d responded by drawing a detailed picture denoting a wall of weapons that would rival the armory of a military officer. But the man who obviously lived by violence was the ship’s most talented cook besides the mechanic. He was capable of making ship repairs, Riddick had seen him working with a welding mask and some steel. And oddest of all, he’d seen the big gun hand sitting side by side with his partner, showing her how to mend clothing, his stitches tiny and careful as he worked on a pretty blouse.

The man was a dichotomy, more so than anyone else on the ship except his partner. River was just as much of a puzzle if not more, her language slipped now and then, her pronouns got mixed up but the content of her speech always made sense. She’d respond to questions no one had asked and drew knives or guns in a split second if she felt threatened. But she was gentle with everyone around her, her hands drifting over her brother’s shoulder affectionately, making meals without complaint and in general doing anything that needed doing before someone could mention that the chore should be done. She took care of half the problems on the ship before the captain even noticed but she was continuously treated like a child by the ‘adults’ on the boat.

“When do you figure you’ll start packing up?” Riddick asked Jayne as he spotted for the bigger man. River was sitting with Jack, working on a portable cortex while Jack was strengthening her leg with a resistance weight Jayne had rigged. That was another reason to like the man, his knowledge of the human anatomy and how to strengthen it rivaled Riddick's and was almost as good as the doc's. It had taken him less than two minutes to set up the weight Jack was using on her leg. The two women were talking softly, soft enough that he had to strain to hear and the conversation didn’t make much sense since River was responding to whatever she heard in Jack’s mind.

“Started the minute River gave the word,” Jayne muttered back. His voice wasn’t too strained under the weights, an impressive feat in and of itself considering the amount he was lifting. It was a load Riddick could have handled but very few others could and made him wonder yet again exactly where Jayne Cobb had come from and who he’d been before that name. “Got all my beauties packed away and every wall in my bunk stripped down. Only ones that ain’t packed are my regular girls.”

“You’re something Cobb, the way you talk about guns like they’re women,” Riddick chuckled.

“Ain’t just guns, it’s my grenades and knives too,” Jayne grinned up at him. “Packed up a few of the gun mags so River could shop if she wanted once we’re on Persephone.”

“How’re you gonna get her things off the boat,” Riddick wanted to know. “If she’s sneaking off she can't be loaded down.”

“Well she’s been givin’ Jack some of her old clothes that were too big, since Jack’s been sproutin’,” Jayne huffed as he pushed the barbell up and onto the rack. He sat up and looked around warily, plainly keeping an eye out for the rest of the crew. “Simon don’t let her off the boat to shop much so she’s only got a few sets of workin’ clothes,” He shook his head. “That’s part a why she’s got the money for passage. She earns a crewman’s wage but she don’t get to spend it.”

“How long do you think it’d take me and Jack to earn enough for passage? If we get in touch with your contact,” Riddick wanted to know. Jayne was prevented from answering when River called their names.

“Come and see,” She waved them over to look at her cortex. Riddick blinked down at the screen and shook his head.

“Don’t see what numbers have to do with me and Jack earning passage,” He said finally as Jayne sat down behind River and cautiously poked the screen with one large finger.

The moment he did so the image changed and he saw the numbers resolve into credit and platinum amounts, “It’s a trick River uses.” Jayne explained with a half-smile and a proud look at his partner. “She’s got the screen set so nobody can read it but her until ya touch it in a certain place. Got tired of Simon and Mal tryin’ ta snoop over her shoulder.”

“So that amount…” Riddick blinked at the number.

“That is the amount I have in Persephone’s main bank,” River smiled. “Under an alias that no one but Jayne knows. This,” A slender finger indicated another number, “is the amount of cash I have.” She leaned back against Jayne and inhaled deeply and Riddick could smell her pleasure, like honey and plums as she breathed in her partner’s scent.

Jayne put his hands on her shoulders and didn’t let her lean back too far, “I’m all sweaty an’ you’re clean.” He reminded her. “So what’s the plan?”

“I give you the cash, you get what you think we’ll need for our mission,” River murmured. “I’ll keep an earwig on me, contact you when I’m off the boat. Riddick and Jack will scout for ships to our destination. I am creating ident cards and paperwork for us now, clean IDs so we won’t get arrested.”

“And when you’re off the boat we all meet at the ship they find,” Jayne surmised quietly. “You use your cortex to transfer the money, book passage and get off Persephone.”

“Leaving within a day would be ideal,” River nodded. “Too much time ‘hidden’ and Simon will suspect something. Me having the fit will reassure him, he’s been getting nervous about my ‘stability’ lately.”

“That’s cuz he’s a top three percent moron,” Jayne muttered angrily.

River patted his knee and shrugged, “You always say we can’t fix stupid.” She reminded him with a smile. “But I will need Rick and Jack to take my things with them.” She looked up at Riddick, “I’ll give the two of you enough cash to get you outfitted. You’ll need more clothes and weapons.”

Riddick didn’t care for the thought of owing her money straight out of the gate and nearly said so but took a deep breath and thought about it, “There a reason we’re doing this in a rush? With next to no time for Jack and me to earn our stake?”

“Serenity don’t stay dirtside long,” Jayne offered the answer with a grimace. “If we waited a day or two for you to earn some coin, Serenity might be back in the Black and River wouldn’t be able to get off until they hit dirt somewhere else, that could be weeks the way Mal likes to fly.”

“And that’s a problem,” Riddick said slowly, not really seeing why. Sure it was obvious that Jayne and River didn’t want to be separated but from the standpoint of someone who’d made several escapes having distance between Jayne’s departure and River’s could only be a good thing. If the captain didn’t think they’d gotten off on the same rock he’d be less likely to look for the two of them together.

“Gorram right it is,” Jayne shook his head angrily. “Would you leave Jack?”

It was on the tip of Riddick’s tongue to say that it wasn’t the same but the murderous glint in Cobb’s eyes and the deadly cold expression on River’s face suggested that perhaps it was. Perhaps Jayne and River had been through a similar hell together, perhaps they’d learned, like he and Jack, that there was no one else in the ‘Verse they’d trust like they could each other. “No,” He conceded finally. “No, I couldn’t leave her. Tried once. Got about five feet away and couldn’t get any further.”

“Never told me that,” Jack’s voice had matured, a low throaty thing that seemed to cling to his skin. “When?”

“After we got taken off the skiff, thought you’d be better off with Abu, if you stuck with him, you'd be safe,” Riddick shrugged. “Like I said, five feet away from you, just outside the cabin door and I couldn’t make myself go any farther. Told him there was a change in plans. That’s when I took you to my bunk and let you sleep there.”

“Wondered why I’d been moved when I woke up,” Jack shrugged and let it go. Apparently might haves and maybe couldas didn’t count in her mind.

“Words without thoughts never to heaven go; reverse effect is also true,” River whispered softly and smiled at Jayne.

“But ya see why River’s gotta get off at Persephone,” Jayne’s glare hadn’t abated.

Riddick nodded and jerked his head back towards the weight bench, “Yeah I get it. C’mon and spot me.” They were barely back at the bench when Zoe strode across the catwalks.

“River, Wash says he needs your help with the cortex, its actin’ twitchy and Kaylee can’t figure why, thinks it could be a soft problem not a hard one.” The first mate called down to the resident cortex genius.

Riddick caught the scent of tequila and heard the tiniest giggle as the girl closed her tablet and called out that she’d be right up. Even in combat boots her feet barely made a sound on the metal stairs. “What’s she up to?”

Jayne’s chuckle above him was grimly pleased, “Just a little snafu she made so when she leaves they’ll have to wait a good twelve hours before the cortex is much help if they think of comin’ after us, assumin' they figured which ship we was on.” He was wearing a smile that was pure unadulterated anticipation, “I wish I could see Mal’s face when he realizes his little ace in the hole is gone.”

“He really can't see that she’s an adult,” Riddick couldn’t understand that. He’d known five minutes after talking to her that River was a woman. He’d have known even if he couldn’t catch her scent.

“Nope,” Jayne shook his head. “She’s useful, but she always has been, even when she was crazy she was dead useful. But Mal don’t like change and River’s changed a lot since she first come aboard.”

“She’s more like how I remember,” Jack said softly as she moved closer to the men and began to use some of the free weights. “She’s…”

Riddick smiled slightly, “She’s your friend Jack. That’s all that really needs be said.”

“That’s enough for you?” Jack was staring at him now; he could feel her eyes, smell the silk of her that meant she was concentrating.

“Folks forget I'm not a Reader but I got better than average senses,” Riddick pumped the barbell back up. “I can smell when someone’s lying and River’s been nothing but honest with us. Don’t doubt she could lie, just know she's not.”

“Oh she can lie with the best of ‘em,” Jayne chuckled. “She just don’t bother unless it’s for a job.”

Riddick chuckled, “Like Jack. She don’t lie to me, but anybody else? Unless she likes someone, she’ll spin ‘em a tale that'll have their eyes popping out.”

“Maybe it’s an Academy thing,” Jack shrugged. “We were taught how to create cover stories and identities.”

“Coming in handy for River now though isn't it,” Riddick muttered as he began to pump the barbell faster.

* * *

 

_**Jack** _

Jack was sitting in the passenger lounge with River, looking through the duffle bag her friend had carefully packed. River’s work clothes and her precious toe shoes and ballet slippers were underneath the old clothing she’d given Jack to wear. River had explained within her brother’s earshot that when she’d first come to _Serenity_ she’d had very little in the way of clothing and the crew had given her their old things. She was glad she could help Jack the same way.

The result of all River’s careful packing was that everything precious to her was secreted away in Jack’s duffle. Jack’s case had River’s sketchbook and colored pencils in it and the special paper River used to make false ident cards. Jack took a deep breath and smiled at River before she zipped up the bag. “I really can’t thank you enough,” She said again. Simon was listening from the infirmary and Jack began to move towards the cargo bay, moving to sit on the crates near the weight bench.

“It is my pleasure Jack,” River smiled, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “You’ll wave me now and then?” Jack slid her eyes over River and nodded, she was wearing the Ladysmith she called Matilda on her hip, carefully buckled into the holster. For some reason River valued the gun more than she did her cortex or her ballet slippers, she’d insisted on keeping it with her. Jack hadn’t quite gotten why but Jayne’s face had split with a smile when he’d heard River wouldn’t give up the gun to be packed.

“Got _Serenity’s_ cortex address written down,” Jack nodded and looked up as Riddick came down the stairs with his case and hers. He had a duffle slung over his shoulder too, carrying more of River’s precious cortex equipment wrapped up in Jayne’s old shirts and Riddick’s hand-me-down pants. They weren’t large things but they were expensive and hard to replace out on the border.

Jack had been surprised at first to learn that River had been making money by manufacturing false papers and ident cards but then conceded that activity was only a short hop from husking a cortex. She had a lucrative side business with her contact on Persephone and if anything went really wrong they were all to meet at a specific bar and regroup.

Riddick nodded at River and gave her a half smile, saving his full grin for Jack as he passed the Reader an Earwig, “Jack, good thing your hair’s growing out.” He put another Earwig in her hand, “Slid that in, both of you while nobody has eyes on us.” He instructed.

Jack took a good look and noticed the strap of his goggles nearly concealed the earpiece he already wore, “Jayne’s got the frequency set already?” She asked reaching up as if to tug at her ear and sliding the little communicator in.

“He said River did it, an encrypted signal that _Serenity_ won’t pick up, not unless they’re really looking hard, which they shouldn’t be for a while,” Riddick grinned and Jack rolled her eyes at him. There was nothing her partner liked more than mischief and this was a good piece of it.

And then Jayne came down the steps, a huge rolled gun bag over one shoulder, a duffle bag strap crossing his chest and a hard rectangular case in his hand that was two by five if it was an inch. Jack blinked in shock, she’d only ever seen Riddick carry that amount of equipment and not even blink at the weight, “We sure he’s human?” She asked Riddick. “Because you can do that and you keep sayin’ you ain’t.”

“Really not sure Jack,” Riddick muttered, “But he fits right in doesn’t he?”

Mal was following his gun hand, “Jayne I’m talkin’ at you. What in the gorram hell is going on?”

“I’m done Mal,” Jayne snapped the words out. “I’m just done.”

River stepped away from Jack and Riddick, her cortex and its satchel clutched tight against her chest as if for comfort. Jack watched as Jayne drew abreast of his partner and stopped to look at her. “Jayne?” River’s voice was hurt and questioning, confused. “Jayne…did I…”

“Nah,” The big gun hand shook his head. “No River, you ain’t done a thing wrong. Never have, you hear me?” His voice was gentle but implacable.

“Then why?” River whispered. “You’re my partner…you’re not supposed to leave.”

“I gotta,” Jayne was doing a damn good job of pretending he couldn’t look at her, all the while sizing up how ready everyone was for their plan proceed. “I’m sorry River. But I can’t stay.”

“No changing his mind, no incentive, no alternation to his plans,” River looked positively wretched and Jack got the distinct impression that River had been through something similar enough that even the captain knew she was being completely broken by what was happening.

“I’m sorry,” Jayne repeated and looked her in the eye. “You know I am. You know why I have to leave.”

“Won’t say it,” River shook her head frantically backing away. “Won’t say it, won’t won’t…Won’t!” She screamed it and Jack saw Riddick wince away from the volume, Mal and Jayne flinched and Simon came out of the lounge to stare at his sister.

Jack could only watch in shocked amazement as River ran, her purpose unclear to anyone but her own mind and her path erratic, up the stairs to the catwalk and down into the mid deck, dodging Kaylee halfway to the doors and swinging past Zoe to disappear into _Serenity’s_ bowels.

“Look what you done,” Mal told Jayne accusingly. “See how upset she is? How could you do that to that poor little girl?”

“She’ll be a lot more upset if I meet the Black ‘thout a suit ‘cause ya’ll cottoned to what I’s thinkin’ on,” Jayne retorted. “That’s ain’t a poor little girl. She ain’t been since Miranda. She’s a grown woman and I know it if no one else does. I ain’t stayin’ to get killed for thinkin’ on her too hard.”

“Then maybe its best you go, because that child don’t need a man twicet her age shovin’ those types a thoughts at her. 'Specially not a man like you,” Mal nearly sneered at Jayne and Jack was startled to hear Riddick growling low in his throat as he drew parallels between Jayne and River and he and Jack. Her hand on his arm calmed her partner down and Jack doubted Mal had heard anyway. The captain seemed singularly unobservant.

“I’ll leave just as soon as you pay my share of the job and we hit dirt,” Jayne folded his arms and scowled darkly. “Funny how everyone else always gets their share before you gimme mine. Know River got hers. But me, you wait until we’re dirtside, you wait until maybe you can just leave me on a rock. ‘Cause I’m nothin’ but a merc to you Mal. I’m just more dirt you can look down on and me wantin’ River just backs up your mind that you’re right. Well you ain’t right Mal. You’re so far from right you’re past reason.”

“Take it then and get the hell off my boat,” Mal threw a bag of coin at Jayne’s feet and stalked away. “Zoe, you get Badger an’ let him know that we’re leavin’ in twelve hours whether he’s got the cargo aboard or not.”

Jack listened to the captain shouting orders, fury in his voice and shuddered, “So I guess that…”

“Went exactly according to plan,” River’s voice chimed sweetly in her ear as Jayne stooped to grab the bag of cash and shoved it into his duffle. Jack watched as he tucked something in his ear and nearly smiled. “Badger has the cargo almost ready so he will be here in an hour.”

“Calls for a slight change in plan, doesn’t it?” Riddick’s murmur was nearly sub vocal.

“Temporarily disengaged the alarm on the topside airlock,” River murmured. “If someone would be kind enough to go to the starboard side of the boat and wait, I’ll climb down.”

_Serenity’s_ ramp lowered and the airlock opened a minute after the ship hit dirt at Eavesdown. Before Jayne could leave, Kaylee came racing towards Jayne. “You wave me, or write me whenever you get settled, you hear me?” She admonished him. “And any messages you got I’ll pass ‘em to River. I promise Jayne.”

“Kaylee, it’ll be all right,” Jayne smiled at the bubbly mechanic kindly, all the sun behind clouds in her eyes. “I’ll drop you a line when I’m on another boat.”

“Promise,” Kaylee stood in front of him and folded her arms stubbornly. “Or I won’t let you off the boat.”

“I promise Kaylee,” Jayne nodded solemnly and Jack sighed. It was sad that the mechanic would be worried about River. “You take care of River for me, all right? Give her some time to get calmed down and let her lay with you under the engine. She loves when you talk to your girl.”

“I will,” The girl nodded and stepped aside.

Jack gave her a shaky smile as she began to limp off the boat, Riddick beside her, and Jayne striding ahead of them as if he hadn’t a care for them in the world, his long legs taking him out of sight. It wasn’t ten minutes later that Jayne’s voice sounded in their ears, “All right I'm 'bout three berths down and two back. I’m gonna circle back and get River. Then we’ll figure out our next move. Saw a ship we might be able to get passage on, they won’t be lookin’ too close at papers.”

Jack nodded as she forgot Jayne couldn’t see her and caught Riddick’s amused look. Her partner replied with a grin, “What boat were you thinking?” He asked curiously.

“About three down from _Serenity_ , one row back, an old CL-54, called _White Lightning_ ,” Jayne replied. “Ya’ll wanna stop an’ see if they’re takin’ on passengers, might could get a bunk and leave our stuff there while we get supplies.”

“We’ll meet you at the gangplank,” Riddick’s voice still held a grin over Jack’s gaff.

“Stop laughin’ at me old man or you’ll see how well I can shoot,” She threatened with a poke to his side.

“Don’t call me old man,” Riddick growled back at her. “We’re at the boat Cobb.”

Jack tilted her head and could barely read the ship name. The old CL seemed to be a collection of rusty plates in various stages of decay along with black bolts and a very large shadow. “Huh,” She looked closer and noticed that nothing seemed to indicate any danger of a hull breach and that beneath the rust the vessel was pretty solid. “Well these old cargo lifters do tend to run forever, if slowly,” She conceded.

“Just try not to get pinched for anything until we get there,” Jayne’s voice advised.

“But getting pinched after you arrive is all right?” Jack retorted and shook her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So the game is afoot! Hope you’re enjoying. 
> 
> And I’m shocked, I didn’t use any Chinese in this chapter. I must be slipping.
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Words without thoughts never to heaven go - Hamlet - William Shakespeare


	5. Five

_**Jayne** _

Jayne looked around uneasily and offered a prayer to Book's God that nobody caught sight of River climbing down the side of Serenity, especially Wash or Mal. "It's all right my Jayne," River's voice was like a balm to his nerves. "All crew are in the galley, won't see me."

"That's good," Jayne was watching for her pretty legs and after what seemed like forever was rewarded with the sight of her combat boots. "Okay I see you River," He set his case down and watched as she carefully made her way past the shuttle and towards the extenders. "Just drop down and I'll catch you," He advised moving directly under her.

"Getting as low as I can," River murmured. "All right Jayne, dropping in three, two, one," And she fell right into his arms, her cortex slamming into his side.

He didn't even feel it, well not much, "Nice to see you River." Jayne grinned at her and kissed her forehead.

"Very glad to see my Jayne," River's voice was a soft sweet whisper that sent gooseflesh over his skin. "But we should go quickly."

He was reluctant to let her down but set her on her feet and grabbed his case. River had smuggled her sword, axe and daggers up to his bunk last night and if he lost them he was pretty sure he'd never hear the end of it. "Rick and Jack are waitin' for us near White Lightning," He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kept his body between her and Serenity until they were out of sight.

"Need not worry," River smiled up at him happily. "Simon has decided to let me stop crying before he comes to look for me. Thinks I am hiding above the dorms. Kaylee can't figure out where I am, and Wash suspects I have plots within plots but will not say anything. Zoe and Mal, deliberately thinking about the job, not you, not me."

"Reminds me," Jayne looked at her, "I didn't say nothin' that actually was hurtful, you know when I was yellin' at Mal?"

"Was able to feign tears by thinking of how I would feel if Jayne truly did leave," River smiled up at him. "Remembered how it felt when a bullet grazed your heart eighteen months ago. Couldn't bear it."

"That why you started studyin' up on doctorin'?" Jayne asked as they drew near the White Lightning.

"Yes," River nodded. "As an afterthought decided that in case Simon got shot it would also be helpful. But Jayne was my primary motivation."

"Bout time ya'll got here," Riddick chuckled as he caught sight of River tucked against Jayne's body. "We've been gettin' a few looks."

"They think we're casin' the joint," Jack added with a grin. "There's a very large woman with a shot gun who doesn't seem to like us much."

Jayne took a look at the ramp and chuckled, "That's Jinny, and she's the cook."

"Never met a cook looked like she could kick my ass before," Jack offered quietly as she and Riddick trailed along behind Jayne and River.

"Hey Jinny," Jayne hollered as he came closer to the boat. "I hear tell you're plannin' on shootin' my pals here."

"Jayne Cobb! Boy you'd better not be plannin' a heist," The grey haired woman with leathery skin, a housecoat and combat boots didn't let go of her gun but she used her free arm to smack Jayne hard on the head.

Jayne blinked and heard the tell tale whir and click as River aimed Matilda right at Jinny, "Don't." River's voice was cool and controlled and he did his best to take a deep breath and not let his nethers do his thinking. But River was somethin' when she was threatenin' imminent violence. "Don't hit my Jayne."

"Your Jayne," Jinny blinked and grinned. "Boy you get hitched?" She shook her head, "Honey you don't gotta worry 'bout me. I only hit people I like. Big Daddy's got bruises on bruises."

"'S true," A man with a Vandyke beard and a long white coat came out of the boat behind Jinny. "The woman hits harder than some of my hired guns."

"Didn't get hitched," Jayne shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears. "River's my partner. She's a mite protective."

"You don't say," Jinny regarded River thoughtfully. "So what's wrong with him? Why ain't you snapped him up?"

"Crew interference," River shrugged and holstered her gun. "Jayne is convinced he isn't good enough for me, reinforced by the crew and my brother. Won't have me."

"Boy, did you turn stupid in the past four years?" Jinny raised her hand to smack him again and Jayne flinched. "Pretty little girl like her, can draw like that and you ain't put a ring on her finger?"

"It's a long story," Jayne sighed. "And half of it I just can't tell you. But it's why me an' River left our old boat. We're trying to get passage for us and our friends here out to Beylix."

"Beylix," Jinny looked at her boss and tilted her head, "We're normally headed out that way, takes a good month and a half though." She looked at the four of them before turning back to her boss, "Big Daddy?"

"Dunno why you're pretendin' to ask," The man in question grumbled. "Like you won't just take 'em on without my say so," He looked them over, the not very tall women and the very muscular and violent looking men, "I run a saloon. Anybody we take on has to be able to help out now and then. We don't kill our customers and we don't let them kill us. Apart from that…"

"Rules are flexible?" River grinned up at Jayne and he couldn't help smiling back.

"What'd ya think River," Jayne tilted his head. "Like the feel of the boat?"

"Good heart, strong arms, wicked eyes," River's gaze was far away for a few minutes and then she grinned and turned to look at Jack. "What does my _jiě jie_ think?"

Jayne looked over his shoulder as Jack's eyes grew vague and then she grinned, "I don't mind drunks so long as if they grab me I can hit 'em."

"They grab you I'll hit 'em," Riddick growled.

"Ya'll are related?" The ship's boss sounded a little disbelieving and Jayne shook his head.

"My partner an' his were in school together, it's how we all met," He compressed and twisted the truth slightly. "But if you're takin' us on, I'd appreciate we get inside."

"Would like to get out of the sun," River explained quietly. "Rick grew up in the mines; eyes are very sensitive to bright light."

"Well then come aboard and we'll get ya'll settled," Jinny grinned happily.

* * *

 

**_River_ **

River looked at how loaded down Jayne was and held out her hand for the case he carried. Her reward for this consideration was a roguish grin and a wink. Her partner was so odd at times. She looked around the ship as they crossed the cargo bay, it seemed to be part saloon, a long bar on one wall with steel shelves and bottles in racks behind plasti covers.

"So tell me how ya met Jayne," Jinny asked as she led them up the stairs. "He's been shippin' out with that fella runs a Firefly, you been on the same boat?"

"Very much in the same boat," River smiled as she followed the woman. Jayne was behind her and she could feel his eyes on her body as she climbed the stairs. The shiver that swept over her skin had nothing to do with the cold. "Came on as a passenger. Stayed to work once I was grown."

"What is it you do hon?" Jinny led them through the galley into a common area with a long table and a smaller lounge area next to it.

"Gun hand, husker, co-pilot," River smiled back at Jayne. "All around trouble maker just like my partner."

"Really," Jinny grinned. "Sounds like you're just what the doctor ordered."

River shrugged sadly, "Brother is the doctor. Definitely did not want me for Jayne, nor he for me." She smiled at the cheerful space, it was a warm green with dark wood chairs and table. "This feels like Kaylee, doesn't it Jayne?"

"Yeah," Her partner took a deep breath and smiled. "It's warm like her." His hand slid over her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "You send her a wave after they figure out you're gone. Let 'em know you're all right. I already promised I'd do the same, remember?"

"Yes," River nodded and put the steel back in her spine. "Cannot go back, cannot be a child again."

"Hun nobody can do that," Jinny regarded her thoughtfully. "Now I'm gonna tell ya'll something might seem a bit odd. We've got four bunks, and there's four a you, but they're all in one room. If that's a problem I can talk to some of our crew and see if they'll switch around so it's all women an' all men to a room."

"No," Jack shook her head, "No I stay with Rick." River glanced at her friend and saw Jack moving very close to her partner, the café au lait skinned man growling softly at the thought of being away from her.

River looked at Jayne, "Don't mind if you don't," She offered. "Don't want to bunk with unfamiliar…" She was about to say minds and frowned trying to think of another word when Jayne rescued her.

"Jinny if ya'll don't mind us puttin' up a sheet a canvas down the middle of the bunk, give the women some privacy, the four bunk room'd be fine." He looked at Riddick who was nodding his agreement. River sighed in relief and kissed the knuckles still resting on her shoulder.

"My Jayne is very…resourceful," River nodded. "We must provision up," She explained quietly. "Supplies will be needed, will we be able to rent a small amount of cargo space?"

"Well that's for Big Daddy to decide on," Jinny grinned. "But here's your room, its right offa the common area here so the door's good an' thick. Won't hear much through it." River was aware of Jack and Riddick exchanging amused glances much like she and Jayne at the thought of not hearing what was going on past the door. "Why don't ya'll unburden yoursel's and you can settle up accounts with Big Daddy."

"Door locks?" Riddick asked quietly. "What we got is what we're carryin'. Ain't anxious to leave it just sittin'."

Jinny put her hands on her hips and regarded Riddick in much the same way she had Jayne, "Now lookie here son, nobody steals on this boat. You have somethin' come up missin' you come ta me or ta Big Daddy an' it'll be found. We don't hold with dishonesty here."

"Good enough," Jack nodded with a hopeful smile. "Sorry, we lost near everythin' when Reavers hit our boat. Weren't for River an' Jayne we'd be startin' from scratch an' we're just a bit edgy."

"Aw, honey I know just how you feel," Jinny nodded and looked at Rick. "You go on and put your things down, take a breath, you'll feel a bit better 'bout everything."

River could sense Riddick's vague astonishment that anyone would first scold him like a little boy and then commiserate with him in the space of two breaths. She couldn't help the giggle that floated out of her and shook her head when Jinny tilted her head curiously, "Rick is an orphan." She summarized the convict's origins, "Not used to a mother figure. Learnt all his manners from books or from Jack. Not exactly civilized."

"That's an understatement," Jack muttered around a grin as she followed her partner into the bunk.

Jinny followed River and Jayne to the doorway and River could feel the friendly curiosity of the cook on her back as she helped Jayne take off his gun roll. "Must treat her partner to a good meal in thanks," She told the big man as she opened the case he'd carried and pulled out her sword and axe. He'd wrapped them well so they didn't bruise the wood of the precious guitar. She sighed in relief as all her weapons were placed on her belt or in case of the sword, on her back. "Feel so much better now."

"Yeah, me too," Jayne nodded solemnly. He looked over at Jack, "River says you can use a pistol. If you'd feel safer you can borrow one of my lil beauties."

"If you don't mind," Jack nodded thoughtfully and River couldn't help but kiss her Jayne on the cheek in thanks.

"Jack is as she is, feels much better when armed," She explained when Jayne looked at her in pleased confusion.

"Damn boy you're totin' 'round an armory," Jinny's boss was standing behind his cook and his eyes weren't exactly wide but he was looking at the guns with a great deal of respect.

"I'm a merc," Jayne shrugged. "Man's only as good as his tools." He looked at Riddick and River had to fight the urge to kiss him again, "I'm thinkin' an' Avenger'd be a good fit for your hand. An' I got a good long blade, ya might like that for your hip."

"I'd welcome 'em," Riddick nodded.

While the men began to arm themselves more thoroughly River approached the captain of the boat, "I can transfer funds for passage into your account directly if you like," She offered with a smile. "Or I can go and withdraw cash, and pay you with that. I would suggest the bank transfer as it gives a legitimate enterprise and something must be given to the tax man. Or we can split it down the middle, half transfer, half cash."

"I like the sound a that last one," The bearded man grinned sunnily. "I'm Big Daddy Holbrook; folks just call me Big Daddy. Be pleased if ya'll would too. We're gonna head out soon as dawn hits, when the sun goes down it gets busy 'round here so if ya'll need help try an' get back before then."

"Would like to arrange some cargo space as well," River explained. "We'll need supplies for Beylix."

"All right, how's five cubic feet sound for a start. You need more we'll cut the cost by a third," Big Daddy smiled at her.

"And it will hide the smuggling compartments," River giggled. His surprised look got her laughing even more and Jayne's hands circled her waist.

"River's bein' cute," He lied. "I mighta mentioned you were in the same line a work as our old captain, just a little more social about it is all."

River shook her head, "Sorry," She smiled. "I'll transfer half the money now and get the rest when we're out. If that's all right?"

"Sounds good," Big Daddy named a sum and River chuckled and began to work her cortex rapidly.

"All done," She grinned up at him. "And now we must go shopping."

"River, before we go wanderin' around," Jayne tugged her back into the room, "Braid your hair up, change your shirt an' put my hat on your head. Iffen Mal sees any of us out an' about I don't want him recognizin' you."

"I'll see him long before he sees me, but if my Jayne insists," River shrugged and began to take off her weapons. "Jack can you find one of my shirts in your bag?"

"You should just wear one of Jayne's over yours," Jack suggested tossing her a shirt long enough to be a jacket. "It'll hide your weapons at first glance and with the hat no one will know it's you."

River glanced at Jayne and he simply nodded. She could hear that he was just glad she wasn't going to start stripping in front of him and Riddick. He wouldn't have a heart attack and he wouldn't have to kill his new pal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So White Lightning is in one of the Firefly RPG sourcebooks as are the characters we find on the boat. I like using the RPGs for background and other characters because it feels like I make the same people all the time and this way I have a slightly different start to them.
> 
> But they're on their way… want to take bets that leaving Persephone doesn't go as smooth as they'd hope? But when does anything when Mal is involved with it, even peripherally?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> jiě jie (older sister)


	6. Six

_**Riddick** _

Riddick wasn't sure he really understood exactly what River and Jack were capable of, mentally. Physically he had a pretty good idea that they were nimble little ninja assassins who could kill just as easily as he could. That they were also very pretty women made the entire idea of them being assassins more than just a little erotic, at least to him, though he had his suspicions about Cobb. He'd been fighting about a dozen Reavers at the time so it hadn't registered that Jack had taken his gun and shot five others dead in the forehead.

Now though, after he'd watched her weapon up he'd had to take a deep breath and leash the animal that wanted to touch and show her just how adult he was finding her lately. She looked like she was about sixteen now, not twelve anymore. He'd always liked her mouth, the way she talked, just the way it was shaped, and her eyes had stared right into him from the moment he'd seen her. She'd never made a secret of her fascination with him; honest from the start that she liked him. He really wasn't sure what there was to like, he wasn't nice, not particularly good looking, and he was violent to excess, with an amoral streak a mile wide.

She was kind though, and compassionate, she'd cared about everyone on that planet even Paris, even Johns. And now he found out that she'd known a great deal about what had been happening, that she'd seen the creatures coming out of their holes, seen him at the skiff, breaking his light. And she'd seen him coming back for them in spite of his decision. How she could still want to be around him after that was something he couldn't comprehend. She'd always been pretty but she was turning into a beauty, growing into a woman who could have her pick of men and here she was hanging around a convicted murderer.

River slid up to him as they walked down the docks and shook her head, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades Riddick." She murmured the words in a low voice. "Almost doesn't count at all."

"Intentions count though," He reminded her as Jack laughed at something Jayne had said making the beast burn inside him. Add jealousy to his list of sins, he thought dryly. He could smell that Jayne wasn't interested in Jack but when the tall man made his partner laugh, he was still jealous.

"Yes," River agreed. "Intended to leave, to consider only himself. But didn't. Would have let them go without him. Would have died on planet. She died for you. Intentions do matter. She intended for you to rejoin the human race. So you and Jack became partners and now you belong to each other."

"She don't belong to me," Riddick shook his head. "I don't own her." He looked down at Jack's oldest friend, "She owns me." He jerked his head towards Jayne, "Just like you own him."

"No," River shook her head. "Jayne can't ever be owned."

"You feelin' all right?" Riddick frowned as he caught the scent of citrus along with the rest of her scent.

"Not physical pain," River shook her head and Riddick surprised himself by feeling concern for someone besides Jack or himself.

"All right, what's goin' on," He put a hand on her arm and stopped walking. "Why're you smelling like you're drownin' in oranges?"

"He doesn't want me enough to own me," River shook off the hand and began walking again. "I think if Jayne wanted me enough he would have done something about me last year. But he hasn't ever wanted to own me. Hasn't ever wanted me to belong to him beyond as his partner."

"Thought you were a Reader," Riddick couldn't believe what he was hearing. "If he wanted you anymore he'd be counting backwards from a million every second of the day to keep it in his pants. He as much as told Jinny that Simon an' Mal were the only things stoppin' him."

"I can only Read what someone thinks. I can only feel what they feel," River's voice sounded like she was grinding her teeth. "He never thinks of more than sex, never lets himself think of anything more than that, of wanting to just be with me, of wanting to keep me."

"Seriously?" Riddick wondered if his ears were going haywire, "The man left his job for you, basically walked away from his home. And according to Jack, and what I've seen in the last three weeks, he spends all his time with you. Being with you and wanting to be with you isn't the problem little girl." This was the most idiotic conversation he'd ever had. He couldn't believe he was talking about this at all, let alone about someone else's potential relationship. He'd been around Jack for six months and obviously he'd gone soft in the brain.

"I am not a little girl," Her voice was more like a hiss.

"Then act like a woman," He snarled back. "That man has just as much of an animal in him as I do, I can _tā mā de_ smell it on him. And he wants his partner." That was extremely accurate. Cobb had something feral in his eyes and scent at times. There'd been days on board Serenity that he'd watched the big gun hand take a deep breath and visibly leash part of himself down when he was talking to the captain or the doctor. He didn't know if Cobb was the same breed of crazy as he was or what but there wasn't any denying the truth.

"Riddick is being kind," River whispered. "But he does not know Jayne."

"Yeah I do," Riddick shook his head and looked up as the man in question headed towards them. "You ain't the only genius around here. You listen to him, when he comes back, sees my hands on you, Read him. He'll want to kill me for touching. He'll want to wrap you up and protect you and then set you on your feet so you can kill me if you want. He's gonna be a storm of feeling he can't control because if I know one thing about the man its that he's a predator just like you an' me an' Jack, and you're his. He'll never tolerate me putting hands on you."

Riddick hadn't been quite prepared to be so spectacularly right. He'd held River's upper arm in his hand, his palm and fingers easily wrapping around her flesh and Jayne's fist had hit his jaw like a rocket. He'd been sprawled on the ground and Jayne was yanking him back up and drawing his fist back to strike him again when Jack's gun had whirred and clicked to life. Riddick couldn't help laughing as the man reacted just as he'd predicted. From the look on River's face she was Reading exactly what he'd said and more, something that filled her scent with caramel, honey and plums. She smelt almost as delicious as Jack did these days.

Riddick was still chuckling as River threw herself at Jayne, "Stop; Jayne stop, he wasn't hurting me. I promise my Jayne." She clung to the arm that would have punched Riddick again, "Please Jayne, stop."

Jayne stopped and turned and looked down at the tiny woman clinging to him as he dropped Riddick on his feet. "Did you want him touching you River?" His growl could have rivaled Riddick's in its fury.

"He was only making a point," River had both hands around Jayne's arm now. "Wasn't taking any action. I promise. No desire on either side."

Riddick put his hand over Jack's gun, "Don't worry Jack, I made the point I wanted. Don't know if it'll help but I tried." He couldn't help the grin that spread his lips. It might have been crazy but at least this wasn't boring.

"What were you doing?" Jack asked with a frown.

Riddick chuckled, she was getting prettier and prettier by the minute. "Provin' to River that Jayne wants her for his," He shrugged.

* * *

 

_**Jack** _

Jack stared at her partner and shook her head at his foolishness, "For a grown man you act an awful lot like a little kid." She told him dryly as she holstered the gun, "What if he'd shot you?"

"Mighta put a damper on our relationship," Riddick grinned at her. "And if I'm a little kid what does that make you? An old woman?"

"I'm not fourteen Rick, no matter how I look," Jack rolled her eyes that he needed the reminder. She'd seen what was going to happen if she hadn't intervened, Jayne would have gotten to three blows before Rick lost control of the animal inside him and shived Jayne. River would have lost control and multiple people would have died including Jayne, possibly Riddick, and possibly River.

"I know you ain't," Riddick's voice was low and raw, "But you ain't quite…twenty one yet are you." Jack tilted her head at him curiously and he gestured towards Jayne and River, "Had to do somethin', she was reekin' of oranges, smelled worse than when your leg was broke. And he's just plain miserable. It's like being buried in oranges and pine. Was trying to get her to see."

Jack shook her head and slid her arm around her partner's waist, her finger threading through a belt loop until she was snug against his side. This was where she felt happiest, safest, the warmth of his body radiating against hers, her gun hand free to draw if she needed to. Riddick's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up at him, "River said it would be another couple of months before my body catches up with my mind, my age." She looked away as those beautiful silver eyes stared back at her from behind the goggles. Part of being clairvoyant maybe, she could always see his eyes, knew on planet even before Fry had made him show her. Nothing could prepare her for the beauty of them, like black pearls, but she'd known about them, the shine job, all of it even as she'd teased the story out of him on Hades.

He was breathing deeply, something in her scent pleased him because he always took deep breaths of her when she was close, "Those months go by…you be damn sure about what you're getting into." Riddick's voice was a dark warning, "You use that brain a yours, an' you figure it out Jack."

She couldn't help rolling her eyes, "It's you who should be thinkin' an' worryin' Rick." She reminded him dryly as River and Jayne turned back to them, River's eyes were twinkling and Jayne was frowning but he extended a hand to Rick in apology.

"I'll try to get used to it," Was all the tall man said. "Ain't sure I'll ever like anyone puttin' hands on her. But River promised you had reason an' you weren't…tryin' nothin'. River's word's good enough for me."

Jack chuckled as Riddick nodded and shook Jayne's hand, "Only thing I'd like to do with your woman is teach her some about pilotin' an' maybe fight." The convict's voice held an echo of his earlier laughter. "Might be an animal but even the animal knows River ain't mine."

"Come on then," Jack was suddenly suffused with impatience. "We've still got to find my tools, and clothes that'll fit me. And River needs more than three pairs of pants and four shirts."

"Patience is a virtue Jack," Riddick's voice laughed in her ear and she shivered. Her body waking up was having all sorts of odd effects, Riddick's voice or breath on her skin made her shiver with heat, and his eyes in the darkness made her dizzy and her heart pound.

"Yeah? What do you know 'bout virtue Rick," She looked up at him teasingly and was surprised to see his eyes riveted to her face, hunger suffusing his expression.

"More than I want right now," He retorted. "C'mon, Cobb let's get the women their fripperies and then we can concentrate on the fun stuff."

"Coveralls and tools are not fripperies," River's precise voice argued and Jack laughed again.

"Lessen its guns, ammo or blades, to Rick its fripperies," She explained to her friend. "Three months of him wearin' the same clothes until they wore out or fell apart in the wash before I convinced him having two sets was better."

"Used to bein' on the run," Rick's voice wasn't in her ear but so close to her head the effect was similar. "Havin' more stuff just means there's more to lose or more to grab when you're tryin' to make a quick escape."

"By that token you shoulda left me with the Imam," Jack argued. "But you kept me."

"You ain't a thing Jack," Now he was laughing at her and she elbowed him in the ribs to stop it. He made an 'oof' noise obligingly even though her elbow couldn't dent his diaphragm and continued talking, "You're my partner. That pretty much puts you above guns and shivs for pure necessity."

Jack sighed happily as his hand tugged on her hair with an affection she could feel. "Every now an' then you say somethin' nice," She mused. "Like you forget the biggest badass in the 'Verse ain't supposed to say pretty stuff."

"Didn't think it sounded pretty," Riddick sounded both amused and dismayed. "Just the way it is."

"Well I liked it," Jack poked him in the side again and he mock growled at her. The sound seemed to reflect in her ears and she hung on tight to his beltloop and waist as the Sight seemed to take her over. Malcolm Reynolds was upset, shouting, his first mate stoic but loading a gun while Simon looked quietly furious. Kaylee was in tears and Wash had folded his arms and was leaning back as if waiting for the storm to pass. The captain was talking, 'She couldn't a got far, everybody goes out, pick a direction do a one mile sweep in and out, Kaylee you stay on Serenity, keep us all in touch. If we don't find her, wave Badger let him know we got a missin' woman an' we'll be here a while longer. Any help he can give us is appreciated.'

The world seemed to come rushing back and Jack was looking into Riddick's eyes, "They know she's gone. Saw the clock, it was about five minutes ago. They're sweepin' the area, compass points, and they're loaded for bear, they'll take her back if they gotta."

"All right," Riddick nodded and River must have heard either Jack's or his thoughts because she tugged Jayne closer to them. Jack could see her lips moving rapidly and Jayne's face growin dark with anger. "River, you gotta get to the bank," He listed their goals, "Me an' Jack gotta get supplies. We'll get clothes for you too. That saves ya a trip."

Jack looked at Jayne, "If they find you with River they'll shoot first and ask questions of your corpse." She told him, "It might actually be better if one of them finds River alone, or with me. We can take them, after all they have no clue that River and I were at the Academy together. But you won't help anyone if you end up dead, least of all River."

"Rick, you go with 'em then, stealthy like," Jayne requested and looked at Riddick. "I'll get us the ammo and if you'll trust me to do it, the equipment you'll need. This ain't Bernadette so prices is fair reasonable." He looked at River and smiled slightly, "I think I'll go see Badger. Mal won't contact him until he has to, so I got a little time. Badger don't like Mal much."

"Good plan," River nodded and tilted her head, Jack knew her friend was listening for the thoughts of her old crew. "Bank first, then shopping, everyone still has their earwigs?"

Riddick pulled his out of his pocket and stuck it in his ear while Jack nodded and Jayne did the same as Riddick. Jack frowned, "What's the range on these things?"

"Good three miles with what River an' Kaylee do to 'em," Jayne told her. "River an' me bought 'em a while back so's we'd always be able to communicate."

"Much of what Simon has thought to be recurring symptoms of madness has simply been me talking to Jayne while he's in his bunk and I was in my dorm," River grinned. "Oh, Jack, did they implant you with the safe word?" Her smile faded as she asked.

"Don't remember," Jack frowned, "What's the safe word?"

"Won't say it in case it's been implanted," River shook her head and looked at Riddick. "If my brother comes he'll try to knock me out with the safe words. I made certain they were no longer effective more than a year ago but if Jack was implanted, she will drop. You would have to carry her."

" _Gǒu niáng yǎng de_ ," Riddick growled and Jack felt his arm tighten around her shoulders. "All right, leastways we know."

Jack watched as River closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Jayne must go now, toward Badger. We three, off the docks, quick as we can." Lightning fast she kissed the surprised Jayne on the mouth and took off running, Jack and Riddick letting go of each other to follow her as Jayne darted with surprising grace and speed for such a big man in the opposite direction.

"Who was comin' River?" Jayne's voice sounded in their ears, not even strained.

"Mal," River replied, her voice just as easy. "We're headed to the bank. If you make it back to White Lightning before us, let Big Daddy know that Mal may be doing a ship to ship search by the time we're on our way back. I won't be able to help in the bar tonight."

"Well Jinny'll be right happy to help you with any unpacking and if I know her she'll like feedin' ya up too," Jayne sounded amused almost. Jack couldn't understand it, it was as if the man was used to people chasing him with intent to kill.

"He is," River's voice giggled. "My Jayne is always prepared to run. Especially when he's with me."

"It never goes smooth. Why don't it ever go smooth?" Jayne quoted Mal with a chuckle. "All right River, gotta go silent on ya, I'm almost at Badgers. Sing out when you change locations and if I can I'll let you know what's goin' on with me."

"Roger that my Jayne," River's voice trilled happily and Jack gasped for breath, her leg paining her as she tried to keep up the pace. River dropped to a jog and then a walk in front of them and finally stopped near a large and imposing building with barred windows and an intimidating set of doors. "Bank." River explained quietly. "We ran for a while."

"Really?" Jack wheezed. "Damn I am out of shape."

"Not much time to recuperate from injuries and near starvation," River said sympathetically. "We'll procure food on our way to the shops. But we were not seen by Mal and thus our goal was achieved."

"Great," Jack nodded and leaned against Riddick hoping the trip back to the berth would be easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Well they're off the boat and working on getting away from Serenity. Again, I have reasons for making Jayne similar to Riddick in some ways. That’s not going to change.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> tā mā de(fucking)
> 
> Gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)


	7. Seven

**_Jayne_ **

Jayne was of two minds about talking to Badger. His first idea was to keep Badger in the dark as much as possible, something he was aware was very much influenced by Mal and his old captain’s opinion of Badger. The second thought was to tell Badger what was going on and just how unhappy River was. Badger had actually employed River for some cortex work when Serenity was undergoing maintenance at Eavesdown and the Reader and crime kingpin had gotten along pretty well.

Jayne hadn’t had much to do with the job except help River move equipment and a bit of welding. He'd found listening to the conversations between Badger and River hilarious because the little crime lord always started out flirtatious and ended up fatherly. It was like the Dyton native didn't even realize what he was doing. And he'd been polite to Jayne, well polite for Badger anyway, when he found out that Jayne was mostly there because where River went he went and vice versa.

He got escorted back to Badger's office, artfully arranged and decorated to look as if Badger was stupid as a rim rat with just as little taste while concealing the plethora of cameras, gun ports and cortex equipment he and River had put in, and was greeted with a surprised look. "Cobb, where's your prettier half? Thought whither thou goest an' all," Badger greeted him. The crime lord had been halfway into a standing position in anticipation of seeing River and plopped back down in his seat with visible disappointment.

"That's why I'm here," Jayne said quietly.

He didn't get more anymore than that out before Badger was leaning forward. "That gorram fool Reynolds done somethin'? I'll have his teeth if he's tryin' to split you two up," The little man seethed.

"Well, Mal's kinda..." Jayne shook his head. "Look you know River's a woman? An adult right? She can earn her own wage an' all, take care of herself, takes care of the whole ship it comes to that."

"Wouldn't a 'ired 'er if I didn't think she was," Badger nodded and gestured towards the chair across from his desk.

Jayne took it gratefully and sighed, "So we picked up a coupla strays offa derelict done been hit by Reavers..." He began the tale carefully editing out the fact that Riddick was a convict, Jack a fugie from the same place as River and anything else a bit too dangerous to say. That story wasn't long in the telling, though he mentioned that River and Jack had met before and how Jack was considered 'Rick's' partner despite the age difference. "I think that mighta been the final straw," Jayne admitted quietly. "River knows...well she knows I think on her. I ain't exactly a subtle type a guy. Mal and Simon caught onto me lookin' after her and just plain lookin' an' goin' on two years now they been tryin' to scare me off."

"Just when you've got down time though right?" Badger asked shrewdly, "They still pair you two off on jobs don't they."

"Well yeah 'cause that's business an' Mal ain't ever passed up a chance to be a hypocrite when it comes to me or River," Jayne rolled his eyes. "I know I'm a good nine to ten years older than her dependin' on which planet we're on, but we've been workin' together for two years. An' I ain't done a thing River's found 'fensive. But Mal an' Simon won't let up. And they won't treat River like she's an adult. She could run that boat better'n Mal, fly it almost as good as Wash, organize it as well as Zoe and keep it in the air if Kaylee ever left. She can even do some doctorin' but nobody'll let her do anything other than the little...place they put her in."

"And along comes her old friend, workin' with a big man of her own, same age as River an' nobody's tellin' her who she can an' can't be with or work with," Badger nodded his understanding. "So why are you here by your lonesome?"

"River figured a pretty cunnin' plan," The big merc chuckled. "You know they don't hardly let her offa the boat right? So she's been savin' up alla her coin. Even banked a lot of it so it'd earn for her. 'Tween she an' I, we've got a pretty tidy sum. So we figured to just leave; she had the idea that we'd ship out to Beylix, find us a boat of our own. Takin' her friend and Rick 'long with us since lil Jack is a pretty good engineer an' Rick's a pilot. Got me for more muscle and general repairs and River as backup pilot and cortex genius."

"Lemme guess, the leavin' part didn't go so well?"

Jayne chuckled, "Oh it went perfect really. Smooth as anything to do with Serenity ever does. An' I ain't been shot yet so we're ahead of the game there." He shrugged, "I just told Mal I was leavin', told him I wasn't gonna stick around to be spaced for lookin' at a grown woman too long when she was lookin' right back. Or ya know, words to that effect. River pretended to get all upset an' run off to hide somewhere in Serenity. Then she climbed out the airlock, shimmied down the side of the boat, I caught her an' we took off."

"So what occasions you to come see me then," Badger clearly didn't understand what the problem was and Jayne remembered Badger had rarely seen Mal in one of his self-righteous moods.

"We left a little tell-tale on the boat, to let us know when they figured out she was gone," Jayne explained Jack's Sight with a little lie. "Mal's got everyone 'ceptin' Lil Kaylee out looking for River. We split up and we got a plan, but wanted to let you know just in case Mal contacted you."

"That all?" Badger chuckled, "Or were you hopin' I'd mislead 'im?"

"I wouldn't mind that at all," Jayne chuckled. "River also had in mind to let you know that if you needed to wave her for cortex work that Serenity wasn't where she'd be found anymore. She said you got her personal cortex address?"

"That I do, emblazoned over my heart," Badger put a melodramatic hand to his chest and Jayne couldn't help chuckling a bit more. Badger could be damn funny when he didn't think someone was trying to screw him on a deal.

"We're shippin' out on another boat at dawn," He told the little man. "River or me'll wave you while we're in orbit. But if you feel like messin' with Mal, you might say River came to see you at some point, might even let on like she's still here. If she was to be gone by the time they got here wouldn't be the first time River's figured out someone was comin' for her an' give 'em the slip." He chuckled, "My partner's got instincts as good as mine. An' we always smell trouble comin'."

"And if I do that, Mal would owe me a favor," Badger chuckled. "And you would owe me one maybe."

"Me an' River yeah," Jayne conceded. "What'd ya think?"

"I think it sounds like I'll be havin' an interestin' afternoon," The little crime lord chuckled. "And to repay me, I'll settle for River comin' by for some touch up programmin'/huskin' work. Nobody has the touch like she does."

"Nope, girl's a genius when it comes to huskin'," Jayne agreed. "I'd best be gettin' on, gotta lot of stuff to pick up 'fore I can head back to the boat."

"I'll wave River after I've sent Mal on a wild goose chase. I'm assuming anywhere but Beylix would be good?" Badger grinned and Jayne winked at him.

"Anywhere ain't in the Kalidasa system'd be fine," The big man grinned. "Hopefully next time you see us we'll have a ship to show you. Reckon River'd love to give you a tour an' she'll talk Rick an' Jack into it."

"Well then I'll look to hear from you... well hopefully soon," Badger grinned and hit a button on his desk when it chimed. "Yeah?"

"Boss I got that Reynolds guy on the cortex, says he needs to talk to you," The henchman on the other end said with a grimace in his voice.

"Tell him I'm tied up a the moment. Won't be free for another hour. He can leave a message or wave back then," Badger's grin tilted evilly. "Well, let the games begin. I figure I’ll tell him I ain’t seen River when I get back to him. Later in the day, I’ll wave him an’ say she’s comin’ by lookin’ for work. If she’s gone when he gets here… that’s too bad isn’t it?."

Jayne’s grin was just as wicked. "Thanks Badger, I’ll let River know. _Hòu huì yǒu qī_ ," Jayne bowed politely like River had taught him and strode out of Badger's office.

Once he was outside and headed for the gun shop he clicked his head so the earwig mike would turn back on, "Hey folks, Badger's gonna send Mal on a wild goose chase," He chuckled. "I'm on my way to get our supplies."

"Good to hear," Riddick's voice came over the line. "The girls are in the bank still. We lost Reynolds but River's a mite uneasy still."

"Yeah, her instincts'll be screamin' at her to hole up somewhere outa sight," Jayne muttered as he hurried down the street. "Academy had cameras watchin' all the time, she hates that now. Persephone ain't too Core but its close enough that she ain't comfortable. I don't imagine the bank is too friendly either."

"She smells like cinnamon and she looks pissed," Riddick chuckled. "And Jack's got vanilla roiling offa her, I know she's pissed off. I'mma find out what happened with the bank."

River's voice came over the earwig, filled with hissing fury that always made Jayne want to kiss her and pet her like a little cat, "Had the audacity to inquire if I was certain I wished to withdraw cash. Cash. As if I was a child. Provided three different forms of identity. Had to demand to speak with the manager. Threatened to transfer my account to Beaumonde. _Fèi wù sāo lǘ_ of a banker."

" _Dì yù_ River, why don't you just transfer near all of it anyway. You come back to Persephone they'll be beggin' for you to deal with 'em," Jayne laughed as he entered the gun shop. "I'm here, goin' silent."

"Roger that my Jayne," River's voice was sweet. "We are headed towards the store now."

"Cobb pick me up a coupla Ladysmiths and LeMats," Riddick's voice requested. "Think our girls'd like them. Or Evangelista's if you can find 'em. An' Jack favors a Martinson rifle."

River's voice was admonishing, "Jayne has forgotten more about guns than you've ever known Rick. He knows what suits me and he'll have a very good idea about Jack. You are the wild card here. Tell him what you'll need besides shivs."

"I like a Justice Arms Porthos if I can get it," Riddick's voice laughed in Jayne's ear. "A Slugger, a Python or a Peacekeeper'll do me just fine too."

* * *

 

_**River** _

River listened with a half an ear as Riddick talked weapons at the listening Jayne. Jack was concentrating, trying to provoke the Sight again while River was Reading the crowd for hints of Simon or Zoe. Wash wouldn't be a problem, the pilot might not be able to make her case to Mal but he was a big proponent of a body choosing who they loved for themselves. "I don't blame you, or him," He'd told her once. "Nobody chooses who they love. We only choose what to do about it."

The shop River had in mind sold good work clothes, this was where Kaylee shopped for her coveralls. Riddick wouldn't feel surrounded by frilly things in here though she'd rarely met a man made less uncomfortable by foreign surroundings. She got the impression that the convict could stroll into a lingerie shop with Jack and cheerfully sip tea while she shopped so long as no one was threatening him or his partner.

Jack looked at her and River smiled, "Don't think you're going to get anymore height." The Reader said quietly. "But if I'm reading your ancestry right, you'll get some more curves. More than me anyway."

Jack just grinned, "So things that are pretty loose on me now will be comfortable in six months?"

"Pretty much," River agreed. "It’s undergarments that will be problematic." A groan in her ear from Jayne reminded her that her partner could hear the conversation and she giggled. "Sorry my Jayne. Technical conversation, not as titillating as he thinks."

"Two pretty girls talkin' on underpinin's an' she don't think that's somethin' I'd like?" Jayne was clearly muttering to himself, "Maybe Mal an' Simon drove her crazy for real this time."

"Behave Jayne," River chuckled. "Try not to listen or the gun shop owner will think you're sly."

"Great," Jayne muttered and was quiet.

River grinned at Jack and shrugged a bit, "Things we can buy that will work until you're done sprouting." She led her old friend to the back of the store towards the athletic style bras favored by female soldiers of all types. "These will do until we can do real shopping. Persephone is our 'make do' list. The real list will wait for Beaumonde or the Skyplex."

Jack shrugged, "I'm just gettin' used to movin' with everything changin' around on me." She admitted. "Was it hard for you?"

"It was, felt awkward and out of place for months," River nodded slowly as she picked up a few more pairs of cargo pants and several teeshirts in her size. A pair of boots for Jack, shorts and long sleeved shirts for the both of them and then she frowned. "What is the weather like on Beylix anyway?"

"It's got farms an' seasons," Riddick told her. "You an' Jack are gonna need some heavy outerwear if its winter when we hit."

"You have yet to choose clothing," River eyed him critically and began to find pants and shirts in his size. "Find coats we can move in," She ordered him. "Rather be cold than unable to move quickly."

Jack shook her head, chuckling as River ordered her partner around, "He hates that you're payin' for all this."

"Money is Jayne's too," River shrugged. "Don't have trouble making money. Would rather spend it on friends and know we're all taken care of. The best result comes not from doing what is best for the Individual or the Group, but from doing what is best for the Individual and the Group."

"Jayne got enough cold weather gear," Riddick asked as he came back with three coats.

"Get one just in case, one size up from Rick," River requested and put the basket of things on the counter to be rung up. "Send all this to White Lightning at Eavesdown, Berth twenty five C, Jayne Cobb," She told the clerk. "Prompt delivery required."

"For an extra five plat can have it there within' the hour," The clerk told her with a grin.

"Five plat, one extra for you, oversee it personally," River pulled out the coin and put it on the counter. "Thank you."

"Yes Ma'am," The boy grinned even wider, revealing sad teeth and began to box up the purchases. "It'll be waitin' for ya when you get there."

"Yǒu láo," River smiled and bowed politely before turning away. Her smile faded as she exited the shop with Jack at her side and Riddick on their heels. "Jayne where are you now?" She asked trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

"Sent everything on to the boat," Jayne replied easily. "You all right? Sounds like there's a problem."

"Simon is headed our way. Chose a direction with the shops she has frequented before," River replied. "Don't know if Jack will be effected by the safe word."

"Right," Jayne had a frown in his voice. "Was about to go pick up some body armor for the three of ya. You rather I head back towards you now?"

"No, Simon does not have good plans for you," River knew she sounded panicked but she was not going to lose her partner. "No, tell Jack and Rick where you'll meet them. I'll go to the dress shop where Kaylee found the fluffy dress. Simon will find me there. I'll deal with him and meet you at your armory."

"You sing out when you see him and you let me know the minute you're done with him," Jayne's voice was uncompromising. "If I don't hear from you every ten minutes I'm comin' to find you and your brother's gonna have some bruises in the shape't a my fists."

"Bargain is struck," River agreed and looked at Jack and Riddick. "Can't take the risk, first thing we'll do when we get some peace, I promise. But you've got to go now before Simon starts to catch up with us."

"I don't like it," Jack objected.

"I'll be fine, I promise," River looked over her shoulder. "This is the shop. Go on now." She gave Jack a little push into Riddick and listened as Jayne gave them directions to where he was. Making sure her cortex was secure in its case she slung the strap across her body and pushed the hat off her head exposing her dark hair to Simon's eyes as she walked inside the dress shop.

Reading her brother was as easy as breathing even as she loosened some of the hair over her ears to conceal the earwig. She murmured into it as she began looking at dresses, "Simon is outside the shop, I am inside. Anticipate he will enter in approximately eight minutes. Probably will try to engage me in conversation. If this continues past the ten minute mark please take that as confirmation of my well-being."

"All right River, you be quick and careful and come back to me safe," Jayne's gruffly affectionate voice was like music. He was worried, she could feel his worry across the city but he trusted her to do her job, to deal with her brother. He knew she was an adult and capable or he wouldn't let her even attempt this. It was a wonderful feeling to know she was trusted.

"Thank you my Jayne," She murmured with a smile. Dress shopping would have been more fun with Jack but she found a couple that would be nice for her friend, a tawny gold and a deep green with adjustable lacings. Bringing them to the counter she indicated she wanted them held and began to shop for herself. She'd just found a deep ruby dress and one in a dark grey when Simon came in. Putting them on the counter she smiled at the clerk again and went to fetch some embroidered waists. Black, deep blue, brown and dark green, she ignored her brother and laid them on the counter. "All of these I think," She told the clerk. "And what do you have in the way of hair adornments?"

"Does Miss prefer silver or gold," The clerk took her cue from River and ignored the gentleman standing by the door.

"I like both," River nodded and pointed to some of the things behind the counter. "I'd like to see those please."

"Excellent choice," The clerk began to extol the virtues of the jewelry.

"River I think that's enough now," Simon's voice interrupted the woman.

Determinedly ignoring him, River nodded to the clerk. "I'll take both please and four sets of your jade combs. Two in white, one in green and one in lavender. Also, I'd like two sets of brushes and combs, with hand mirrors as well."

"River, it’s time to go back to the ship," Her brother had that tone she hated, that 'I'm being extremely reasonable and you're being insane'.

"Uh oh, Simon's bein' an ass," Jayne's voice muttered apparently Riddick and Jack had caught up with him. "River hates it when he talks like that."

"Was there anything else I could help you with Miss," The clerk was loath to lose her customer just yet.

"Do you carry slippers? Suitable for the gowns? I'd like the kind that are lined and stretch around your feet," River explained. "Good for dancing but still pretty? Something to match the waists for each dress."

"I have just the thing Miss," The clerk bustled into her back room.

River turned and looked at Simon, "I'm busy Simon." She kept her voice cool and uncaring.

"You've worried everyone, you told no one that you'd left the ship, Zoe and the Captain are scouring Eavesdown for you," Simon told her angrily. "And you're shopping for dresses?"

"Need no one's permission to leave," River folded her arms. "Lost my partner, my best friend, wanted to at least have clothing that fit."

"Well you're coming back to the ship if I have to drag you back," Simon folded his arms imitating her.

"Must finish transaction first," River turned her back and smiled at the clerk who'd returned with four pairs of beautifully embroidered synthsilk slippers. "These look perfect. Can you have everything packaged for transit?"

"In the work of moments," The clerk smiled and began to wrap everything up. River smiled and saw two little purses, embroidered like the slippers and added them to the pile of purchases.

"River, enough shopping, it’s time to go home," Simon strode forward in exasperation and made to grab her arm only to have River side step him.

"Over two decades old Simon," River snapped and pulled out her cortex to transfer the payment. When she was done she smiled at the clerk, "Would you be able to recommend a good shop for...foundation garments, for these type of gowns?"

"Absolutely," The woman named several places and River smiled. "Wonderful, and would you please have my packages sent express to the cortex address I've attached to the payment?"

"I'll just verify," The clerk scanned her screen and turned it for River's eyes only. River nodded approvingly at the clerk’s discretion, the woman wouldn't make a living very long without being sensitive to the undercurrents.

"That's the correct address," River nodded. "Thank you so much. I'd apologize for my brother but you know men, how impatient they can be."

"Please come see us again Miss," The clerk smiled at her and at the generous tip River had added to the purchase price and continued to wrap everything up.

"All right Simon, I'm going on to my next destination," River said once they were outside the shop. "You can accompany me or you can go back to Serenity and wait."

"No River, you're coming home right now, if I have to carry you," Simon told her firmly. " _Eta Kooram Nah Smech_ ," He spoke the words clearly and stared at her when she didn't fall down.

River sighed sadly as Jayne's furious curse echoed in her ear, "I really had hoped you wouldn't do that Simon." She told her older brother, "But you did. You really do think of me as something that's only yours. Not a woman, not an adult. A little girl, a ballerina in a jewelry box."

"What did you do?" Simon was coldly furious and for the first time River could see her father in him, in his righteous chilly anger.

"I took away my triggers, and safe words," River shrugged. "It's not hard once you've studied the method of implantation." She took a step away from Simon and sighed again when his hand latched around her arm. "Let go of me, or I'll make you let go."

"You're coming home with me," Simon snapped furiously. "I've had enough of this nonsense from you."

"Nonsense from me, like I'm a child babbling about the refracting colors of light through a crystal," River shook his arm off easily and spun once kicking him in the sternum and knocking him onto the dusty street. "I'm a woman Simon and I'll come home when I'm ready and not before."

Simon began to push himself up, a few curses he had to have learned from the captain falling from his lips. River tilted her head in surprise, she hadn't thought he'd lower himself to use that type of language. "Well I can't have you following me about all day yelling in Russian," She sighed and brought her heel down on his forehead.

Flagging down a rickshaw she loaded Simon into it and gave the driver Serenity's berth number and a generous fee, "Take him straight there and don't stop for anyone."

"Nicely done," Wash's voice wasn't precisely welcome. River sighed; she really didn't want to hit Wash. "Did he try to use the words on you?"

"Yes," River turned to look at the pilot, the one everyone underestimated. "I'm not going back Wash. I can't."

"I know," Wash shrugged. "I knew six months ago you were thinking about leaving. You asked a lot of questions, didn't seem to care when I didn't answer, that usually means you're Reading me."

"You didn't mind," River smiled tentatively.

"No," Wash smiled back at her. "I expect Jayne is shouting in your ear to get away from me. Tell him not to worry."

"Jayne, did you hear that?" River spoke into her mike. "Wash isn't like Simon. He's not trying to stop me, not him or Kaylee."

"We know...you have to follow your heart," The pilot shrugged. "I'll miss you River. You're one of the only people on the boat who know how to play This Land with me."

"I'll get some dinos and we can play long distance," River suggested. "Here," She pulled out a card. "It’s my private cortex address. Kaylee can't keep a secret for long so don't give it to her until everyone has calmed down. I'll write and let you all know that I'm fine, whenever I'm near somewhere with a public link."

"All right," Wash smiled. "Kaylee said to remember what she said about Capissen Thirty Eight engines."

"They fall right out of the sky," River recalled with a smile.

"Mal's headed toward's Badger's hole after he finishes his sweep, that'll be a good forty minutes more," Wash tilted his head, listening on his own earwig. "Zoe hasn't found hide nor hair of you in her direction. If you're gone by the time I open my eyes I can honestly say that I saw you and then you disappeared towards Badger's den." He closed his eyes and River couldn't help but hug him and kiss his cheek.

"Thank you Wash," She whispered against his whiskers before she ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So not everyone is on board with the idea that Jayne is bad for River. I always thought that Wash was slightly more reasonable than Simon and Mal. He’d have to be very nonjudgmental to deal with the shenanigans of Serenity’s crew. There are folks who are also irritated that I’m making Jayne comparable to Riddick in strength and skills. I have reasons for doing this. It’s all going to tie in. But it’s not going to be anytime soon chapter-wise. So if you hate it, it’s not going to change. Not sorry.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Hòu huì yǒu qī (I'm sure we'll meet again some day. (idiom) / Hope to see you again)
> 
> Fèi wù sāo lǘ (good for nothing jackass)
> 
> Dì yù (Hell)
> 
> Yǒu láo (thank you for your trouble - used when asking a favor or after having received one)
> 
> Russian Translations (let the buyer beware, this is supposedly Russian but I’m going off fan sites and don’t know for certain:
> 
> Eta Kooram Nah Smech (This is very ridiculous, literally ‘this is for hens to laugh’)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> The best result comes not from doing what is best for the Individual or the Group, but from doing what is best for the Individual and the Group – John Nash (slightly paraphrased)


	8. Eight

_**Riddick** _

Riddick was actually finding Jayne's mutterings amusing. Jack kept glancing at the big man who was deliberately not talking into the mike so that River wouldn't be distracted. More and more Riddick was thinking they ought to just take what they'd all gotten and meet back at the ship. Being out on the docks was giving them nothin' but grief.

Finally Jayne leaned against the alley wall and sighed in relief, "She's on her way. Wash ain't gonna spill the beans."

"Yeah Cobb, we got that," Riddick rolled his eyes as he reminded the taller man that he and Jack were wearing earwigs too. "She knows where we are?"

"She knows there's the place Mal shops and then there's the place I took her to when we were getting her sword," Jayne replied. "She'll be at the latter."

"Fancy word," Jack whistled teasingly.

"Been hangin' 'round fancy folk," Jayne muttered. "C'mon, we leave now she'll be there right 'bout when we get there."

Riddick looked at Jack and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "How's the leg _xiǎo māo_?" He could smell that it hurt, red peppercorn back in her scent.

"Aches some," Jack admitted. "I shoulda asked River to find me a cane or somethin' but I can't run with one."

"No you can't," Riddick agreed. "Lean on me some, I can take the weight."

"You could take five times my weight and you know it," Jack rolled her eyes at him. "But I can walk."

"C'mon," Riddick slid his arm around her waist and let his palm rest on her hip. "Ain't like it's a hardship to have you close. Wish you looked a little more your age so I don't feel like such a ruttin' pervert but I know you ain't a kid."

"River said that to your senses I'm starting to smell like a woman, not a child," Jack murmured. "Is she right?"

"She's the Reader ain't she?" Riddick grinned, "Speakin' a Readers. You Seein' where she is?" He took advantage of the distraction the question created to pull her snug against his side and gave himself a few seconds to enjoy the feel of her.

"Hmm...she's comin', not hurryin', just comin' our way," Jack was leaning against him as her eyes looked inwards and Riddick let his fingers play over her hip. It wasn't much of a caress but it was all he could let himself have at the moment. It wasn't that he'd mind seducing her, but from what he recalled of girls in their teens nothing felt comfortable or right for a while after they'd sprouted. This was Jack, his partner and if she wasn't going to be his little fourteen year old sister then he at least had to wait until she looked like the twenty one year old woman she was.

That didn't mean he couldn't let her know he was thinking about her though, "Hmm..." He turned his mouth towards her heard. "You smell good Jack," He drew her closer, savoring the feel of her. She looked about sixteen, mouthwateringly sweet, smelt of brown sugar and peaches and he had the sudden urge to nibble on the skin at her neck to see if she tasted as good as she smelt.

"You sure you wanna do this now Rick?" Jack looked up at him uncertainly, "I'm not your type remember?"

"What's my type then?" Riddick drawled the words out keeping her body against his and taking part of her weight. The red peppercorn scent was fading again as he helped her walk.

"Curvy gorgeous blondes," Jack was laughing at him now, reminding him of his attraction to Fry. "The ones who are scared of you and want you anyway when you're alone with them in the dark."

"I like blondes, I'll admit that," Riddick felt her hand on his belt, her fingers in his beltloop and grinned. "But lately, been feelin' a little strange, got this little thing, sweet girl with dark hair, I thought needed protectin', an' she's growin' up on me, leavin' me spinnin'."

"Losin' your bearings Rick?" She was teasing him now and he grinned down at her.

"She's the only one ever made that happen," He shrugged and felt the slight swell of her breast rub against his ribs. "Fry was a woman, but she never spun me about. But this little thing, she's got her hooks in me deep, couldn't even sex her when I met her. Still can't, not 'til she's grown all the way. But I'm stuck with those hooks an' I'm spinnin'."

"River says... maybe six months at the most... it gets slower as we approach our actual age," Jack said in a breathless voice that sent blood rushing to his groin. "She did a mock up on the cortex, right now...I'm at a physical age of about sixteen or a little under. But in a couple months I'll look eighteen or nineteen."

"We'll have to tell River I wanna see that program a hers," Riddick kissed the top of her head breathing in that heady scent. "But until you look a lot less like jailbait this is as close as we get," He squeezed her hip.

"Pretty close," Jack grinned at him and he rolled his eyes behind the goggles.

"Yeah well you're wearin' clothes, an' so'm I," He snorted and looked around as Cobb came to a halt. "Guess we're here, so where's River?"

Jack tilted her head and got that far away look in her eyes, "She stopped and now she's carrying a bag of somethin', she's walking towards us now."

Riddick knew the minute Jayne saw River, the man's scent spiked and he could tell the tall merc was working hard at not running at River and scooping her up. "I don't look that...soft, do I Jack?"

"Nah," Jack shrugged, "'Course you haven't known me as long as Jayne's known River. An' she's...nicer than me."

"Jayne's prolly nicer than I am," Riddick mused and got a dark look shot at him.

"Don't make book on it," Jayne snarled and one fist bounced lightly against the wall.

"Cobb they don't come much meaner'n me," Riddick shrugged.

"They don't come much uglier neither," The merc sneered back, "An' neither's much to brag on." He straightened as River walked straight towards him, she shoved the bag at Riddick and wrapping her arms around Jayne's waist.

"He really tried to use the words on me Jayne," River was sobbing, oranges filling the air and Riddick scowled. Jack's scent became tinged with red peppercorns and Riddick wanted to howl and kill something. "Why? When did I become a thing to him?"

"I dunno River," Jayne had wrapped his arms around her and dragged her up his body to hug as he leaned against the wall. "But it don't make him right, even if he is your brother."

The convict took a deep breath and felt like choking on red peppercorns and oranges and the burnt oak of Cobb's fury, "Gorramit." He couldn't help but curse, and shake his head, "Ya'll are gonna kill me." Pain and rage surrounded him with their miasma and pulled on the animal to match them, to do something to make it stop.

The oranges didn't go away entirely but they faded some while Jack's red peppercorn began to die under her concern for him. "Rick, ya'll right?"

"Cobb's so pissed he smells like a burnin' oak tree," Riddick ground the words out trying to breathe through his mouth rather than his nose, "River's sad enough that I feel like I'm drownin' in orange juice and you're upset an' it's like red peppercorn in my nose. I ain't a Reader but it's enough to make me crazy."

He was aware of River turning to look at him in concern and then up at Jayne thoughtfully before she inhaled and the scent of oranges died even further. "Armor and then return to _White Lightning_ ," She suggested and he felt Jack nod in agreement. "Privacy for any discussion is needful."

Jayne hadn't said anything but he pushed away from the wall and took River's hand in his. "Won't take long to get you two armor," He said quietly. "Stay here, breathe normal, me an' River'll be right back."

"Don't forget canvas," Jack piped up and River grinned at her before Jayne tugged her into the shop they were all standing in the shadow of. Dark eyes looked up at him, "Rick? You all right _yè yīng_?"

"Pretty sure I'll live," He shrugged and tugged her closer. "Ain't used to bein' in close quarters with folks…just barely gettin' used ta havin' you as a partner Jack. Now we got two more people in the mix. I ain't…Jack it's pretty gorram strange to give half a fuck 'bout anybody 'sides myself."

"Six months with me but it isn't long compared to thirty years," Jack nodded her understanding. "And now two more people. Welcome to the human race Rick."

"Shit," Riddick groaned and fought the urge to pull her tighter against his body regardless of how much he shouldn't. "This is the least comfortable I've felt in years. Sometimes I think I'd rather shiv somebody than feel this…out of my skin."

"Rather have me leave?" Jack's voice was quiet, not worried, more…weighted as if his answer was part of a test.

"Fuck no," He turned and had her back flat against the concrete wall in an instant, his body pressing to hers in both a threat and a promise. "You take one step in that direction an' then you'll really meet the animal I promise you. I ain't ever, ever, lettin' you leave me Jack." The snarl in his voice should have scared the hell out of her. But all he smelt was peaches and brown sugar and maple syrup from the girl he was currently threatening.

"All right," Jack's voice was low and reassuring and her arms draped around his neck and shoulders. Her thumbs rubbed over his neck affectionately, massaging the muscles corded tight with tension. "Wasn't plannin' on it. But if you'd wanted me to take off, wanted to go back to bein' 'big evil' or whatever," She shrugged her body moving against his in a way the animal liked a little too much. "No point in me bein' around iffen it don't make you happy Rick."

"I don't know 'happy' Jack," Riddick growled more softly gentling his hold on her and breathing in the intoxicating notes of her scent. "But bein' round you… dunno what I feel, it's a huge mess a stuff inside me. Know I don't want you hurt, can't have you wantin' for anythin', an' I gotta keep you. I gotta. Like I gotta breathe, I gotta be with you."

"We'll figure it out," She pulled herself up against him and pressed her cheek to his, soft skin against the slight scruff on his jaw. "It'll be all right."

He sighed and let the animal concentrate on the smell of her hair and the softness of her skin, the rumble in his chest a vague sound of contentment. He was obliquely aware of the bag on the ground next to them, not spilled thankfully, passersby either staring or ignoring them according to their curiosity or lack thereof. He heard Cobb and River before he saw them but he still didn't move from his position from against Jack.

"What went wrong?" Cobb asked, worry and irritation in his voice. Riddick couldn't really blame the man, the day had gone spectacularly in one direction or another since they'd left Serenity.

"Nothin'," Jack's voice was soothing and cheerful, "My partner's just gettin' used ta socialization an' all. Little overwhelmin' after bein' alone so long."

"Yeah," Jayne's voice was surprisingly sympathetic and Riddick had to wonder exactly what the man had been through that he understood Riddick's own dilemma. "Well we got everythin' we really need, why don't we grab the food an' head on back to _White Lightning_. It's all gettin' shipped anyway."

"We should split up to go back," Jack's hands were patting his shoulders and Riddick sighed and let her down before he stooped to pick up the food. When her feet were touching the ground his partner continued, "Me an' River ain't been seen together, we can take the back ways."

He shook his head, "I don' like it." Riddick frowned down at Jack, her leg still hurt, and she wasn't up to full strength. She still looked like she was half starved to him.

"Riddick's concern is not unfounded," River surprised him by agreeing. "Jayne may stroll about unimpaired by possible identification, same for Rick and Jack. The girl is problematic," She tilted her head to look at the sun. "Jayne, estimated hours until dusk... two?"

"'Bout that yeah," Jayne squinted at the sky. "Ya thinking Eavesdown'll be easier to navigate in the dark?"

"For me, yes," River nodded. "The rest of you can go about as you please."

"I ain't leavin' you alone on the docks," Jayne shook his head. "It ain't safe even if you are a mind readin' assassin."

"Not planning on staying on the docks," River shook her head at him and Riddick caught the scent of tequila.

"Then what's the plan?" Riddick wanted to know.

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

Jack wasn't sure she liked River's plan, and she knew that Jayne didn't. Riddick had looked down at her and then at River and frowned thoughtfully. "Goes against my nature to give a damn, but even if you do go and meditate at the abbey for a while, you still ain't gonna be safe comin' back to the ship," He'd pointed out.

"Jack's needs to rest, she can't come with me and as a group we're too easily spotted," River shook her head.

"Yeah but iffen your crew is lookin' still, they'll be expectin' to see you with Jayne," Riddick had pointed out.

Jack felt her lips curve into a grin, "You wanna pull a switch?"

"Well they ain't gonna expect me to be with her will they? An' between the two of us I 'spect we could handle any trouble comes our way," Riddick had looked at her with a strange expression, it had taken a minute for her to figure out it was hope. He was hoping he could do this, could actually help. It was strange but she knew he wasn't doing it for River's sake. He liked the girl fine but she wasn't his partner, wasn't even his friend yet. The potential was there but Riddick was doing this for Jack's sake, because River was her friend.

"If River doesn't mind, I don't," Jack had replied slowly. "But we don't exactly look alike."

"Similar in size, especially when compared to the relative height of our men," River had grinned, the expression Jack remembered well from the Academy. That grin had always meant trouble for someone. "All you and Jayne need do is get back to the ship. We'll follow, roundabout route, try to use darkness to get as close as we can."

"Be a damn sight easier if _White Lightnin_ g's berth weren't so gorram close to _Serenity_ ," Jayne frowned.

"They got a shuttle don't they," Jack asked curiously. "How well do you know Jinny anyway Jayne?"

"Met Jinny after my second job," Jayne half smiled at the memory. "I guess iffen it weren't for her feedin' me I might not a got my full growth. Left home when I's fourteen," He explained. "I sprouted 'bout a foot in a year, felt starved the whole time, Jinny always fed me. I'd do work for her an' she'd keep my stomach full."

"Do you think she'd talk her boss into usin' the shuttle to come get River an' Rick?" Jack wanted to know.

"Won't know until we ask," Jayne looked at River. "You an' Rick play least in sight, an' for the love a God, try not to get in any fights. Might as well send up a flare to Mal doin' that."

"I don't fight," River shook her head stubbornly.

"Yeah, an' I don't breathe," Jayne kissed her forehead and looked over at Jack. "All right _mèi mei_ let's get back to our berth an' see about a shuttle."

Jack had agreed and asked Riddick if he'd thought meditating would irritate the animal or help it. Her big partner had just growled at her lightly and told her when he got back she'd best be restin' her leg or he'd know why.

River had been right; it hadn't been hard at all for her and Jayne to get back to the ship. Jinny had greeted them with a frown though, "You're missin' two a ya's." She'd put her hands on her hips, "Now where's your girl Jayne? And you young lady, your big man didn't look like he did too well 'thout you around."

"You ain't wrong, but River can handle him for a little bit," Jack had grinned at her.

"We hit a little snag," Jayne confessed. "Got everything we needed to get, but our old crew is out tryin' to hunt River down an' haul her back to Serenity."

"Ain't that somewhat against what your old Captain was s'posed to be fightin' for," Jinny hadn't taken her hands off her hips and Jack had surreptitiously eased her weight onto her good leg. The cook's eyes were sharp though, "What's wrong little bit?"

"I broke my leg three weeks ago," Jack offered in one of her rare bits of honesty. "Just overdid it a bit today, maybe."

"Big Daddy!" Jinny was hollering for her boss while she was giving Jayne instructions, "Jayne you get that girl up to the galley an' get her offa that leg." She frowned as Big Daddy came into view from behind the bar. "Their _chǔn bèn_ ex-captain is intent on takin' Jayne's partner back to his boat."

"Cobb, that true?" Big Daddy looked directly at Jayne who was in the midst of picking Jack up like she weighed a half pound.

"It ain't a lie," Jayne growled. "River knew getting back to your boat in daylight weren't gonna be easy," He explained as he mounted the stairs.

"She and Rick stayed behind 'cause he's the best of us in the dark," Jack told Big Daddy over Jayne's shoulder. "They're holin' up at Southdown Abbey for a spell, then they'll make their way back here."

"And if they're caught first?" Big Daddy frowned, "You old crew likely to know where River'd go hide out?"

"We warned the guy we work with that Mal'd be lookin'," Jayne set Jack down in a chair and grabbed another one to prop her foot up on. "He's gonna lay us a nice false trail."

"But you're still worried," Big Daddy surmised and Jack snorted.

"She's my oldest friend and he's my partner," She rolled her eyes. "She's Jayne's partner. Ain't known Jayne long but I know he an' River are tighter'n a preacher's sphincter. Don't like 'em out there alone even if they are together."

"Add to the trouble that River's brother is a doc an' he ain't above dopin' her if he can, if that'll get her back to their boat nice an' quiet," Jayne added grimly.

Jack frowned, "I was really hoping River was joking about that." She said unhappily, "After all the crap she's been through he'd really..."

"Yep, in a red hot minute," Jayne was scowling and Jack wouldn't have wanted to be Simon Tam in that moment.

"Do the rest of 'em know how to drug her?" She asked worriedly, "I mean, if Simon's still knocked out, would Mal or Zoe know how to load up a syringe with the right dosage and stick River?"

"Yeah," Jayne nodded with a sigh. "Before Simon an' River came aboard Zoe an' Mal were the best hands at medickin'. I can stitch on flesh pretty easy but my hands is too big to go dippin' about an' takin' out bullets. Zoe's got a deft touch an' Mal's pretty good. 'Course they both got lotsa practice."

Big Daddy had been listening to this conversation along with Jinny and interjected, "What do you mean they'll dope her?"

"River don't do good with drugs, not even smoothers," Jayne shook his head.

Jack took over the explanation, "She tends to have bad side effects and for a while her body chemistry was so unbalanced her brother thought she was psychotic. It was only when she refused to take them anymore than she started feeling better. Now she hates drugs, even a painkiller makes her feel out of control."

"Can't say that I blame her," Big Daddy frowned. "And this happened on your boat? And the captain let it happen?"

"Mal didn't quite get what was wrong with River at first," Jayne shrugged. "To be fair, none of us did. Hell, I even held her down for the doc to get a smoother in her once. Hated doin' it, she just looked so..." He shook his head.

"Broken," Jack said quietly. She Saw images of it, of Jayne's big hand smoothing River's hair while she was asleep after he'd had to hold her down. "She told me once she felt broken, like her brain was a puzzle with the pieces shaken up. She couldn't find herself."

Jayne nodded, "That was how she acted too." He took a deep breath, "Tell ya it were a gorram relief when she felt clear enough that she stopped takin' the pills."

"How long did it take for her to get it all out of her system?" Jack asked him, "She never said."

"It were after Miranda..." Jayne muttered trying to think, "After the wave." He frowned, "Took her...'bout a month. Even half outa her head the girl could decrypt anything, I plain gave up tryin' to keep her outa my bunk."

"Your bunk?" Jack tilted her head curiously and was very aware of Jinny and Big Daddy doing the same.

"Yeah, her brother an' I, we ain't ever taken to each other, an' she knew he wouldn't go in there," Jayne chuckled. "It's parta how we got to be friends, she was a quiet little thing when she weren't takin' fits 'cause a the drugs. She'd sit an' read to me real quiet while I worked on my guns. Or she'd just sleep an' I'd play guitar. Time the month was up, I didn't feel right less she'd been by to see me once a day. Took to lookin' for her. She's still hidin' an' ain't a tracker in the 'verse can hold a candle to me even on a boat."

Jack giggled at the idea of Jayne tracking River all over the transport ship, "Couldn't a been easy, River's powerful smart."

"Slippery too," Jayne said proudly. "She done watched me any time I's trackin' planetside, learned all sortsa stuff to not do or I'd find her."

"Found her anyway didn't you," Jinny was smiling now and Jack grinned.

"We got an expression son," Big Daddy was shaking his head, "We say 'he chased her 'til she caught him'."

Jayne laughed and Jack just grinned up at Big Daddy, "You're givin' away secrets."

"Seems to me he was doin' the same to her," The ship's captain chuckled and then sobered as he recalled what had led them to talk of River and drugs. "Ya'll really worried your old crew'll catch up with your partners?"

"They won't care 'bout Rick," Jack said absently. "But my man don't break a promise an' he said he'd stay with her. Watch her back. She gets taken it'll be over his bleedin' body an' then some. He'll do violence."

"Violence is somethin' me an' Rick kinda...excel at," Jayne said quietly. "Our women are deadly in their own ways... and River can kick my _pì gu_ two outa three matches. She's just that quick. But she won't wanna hurt Mal or Zoe. She'd never hurt Wash. So it puts her at a disadvantage."

Jack looked at the clock on the wall, "It's gettin' close to dark. They'll be startin' back soon."

Jayne nodded, "Yeah, gorramit." He was scowling fiercely and pacing and Jack knew just how he felt, but pacing wasn't exactly an option for her at the moment. "I should never a left her there. I know Rick'd take care a her but he don't know River like I do... we don't even gotta talk durin' a fight, we just know what to do."

"Jinny go an' find Geoff, an' tell him to get the shuttle ready," Big Daddy said after a moment. He looked at Jack as the cook moved down the hall behind them, "You got any word from your partner yet that they're movin'?"

"Nope. They was gonna stay quiet 'til they was on the move, update us every quarter hour when they was travelin'," Jack shook her head. "Radio silence means they're still at the abbey."

"Tell 'em to stay put," Big Daddy looked over his shoulder as a thin young man with a noticeable limp came in the room along with Jinny. "Geoff, this is Jayne an' Jack. You're gonna go an' pick up some precious cargo from Southdown Abbey, Jayne's gonna go with you in case there's trouble."

Jack grinned and clicked on her earwig, "Rick you still breathin'?"

"Breathin' and watchin' River dance," Riddick sounded a little befuddled and Jack's grin spread wider.

"Well tell her to get ready for a ride," Jack grinned as Jayne and Geoff disappeared into another stairwell, their boots moving upwards, "Jayne and Big Daddy's pilot are comin' to get ya'll."

"Good timing," Riddick told her. "River's gettin' twitchy an' from what I'm hearin' and smellin' she ain' wrong to have some nerves."

"Roger that," Jayne's voice came over the comms. "I'll tell Geoff to double time it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So it's taking them a little bit to get off Persephone… Not sure I mind, any huge undertaking like theirs will need some prep time and they're scrambling to do a lot and avoid Mal and the crew.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> xiǎo māo (kitten)
> 
> yè yīng (night hawk)
> 
> mèi mei (little sister)
> 
> chǔn bèn (stupid)
> 
> pì gu (butt)


	9. Nine

_**Jayne** _

Jayne rechecked his gun and looked at the pilot, "Guess they got a shuttle pad on the roof a the abbey." He said after a moment, "River says she an' Rick'll be waitin' on the roof for us. She don't even want ya to power down the engines. Land long enough to let 'em get in an' take off again."

"You really expectin' that much trouble?" The pilot was a good kid, if a little green, but he was as good as Wash when it came to handling a boat. He'd goggled a bit at Jayne's hardware and no doubt would find Riddick and River equally shocking.

"Our old crew don't think River's grown up for all that she's twenty," Jayne shrugged. "They think I'm no good an' that I got no business thinkin' on her or lookin' at her."

"Well if she's sheltered an' all," Geoff shrugged.

"Ain't a girl less sheltered in the 'Verse 'cept Jack," Jayne shook his head. "No, they got no misgivin's 'bout sendin' River an' me on jobs together. We were the gun hands. They just don't..."

"No I got it," The tow headed pilot shrugged and turned the shuttle south. "Few a the daddies back home were like that about their daughters. They could work an' they could shoot an' all but when it came to boys they weren't ever gonna be old enough."

"That's close enough to count," Jayne peered out the window into the dusk, "I'm thinkin' that's the abbey." He frowned into the growing darkness, "I didn't notice, this shuttle marked in anyway?"

"Not as such," Geoff was concentrating on his landing. "Why?"

"Because if it has a name it can be tracked easier," Jayne told him before he spoke into his mike. "River, I'm gettin' a weird feelin' offa this. You an' Rick pickin' up anythin' down there?"

"Mal was thinking of checking here but decided to save the abbey for after he'd checked out boats headed for Blue Sun," River's giggle was like a warm breeze in his ear. "Zoe is headed this way but she will not arrive until after Jayne and Geoff."

"Always knew Zoe was smarter'n Mal," Jayne muttered. "This just kinda proves it."

"Jayne is very wise," River agreed, a smile in her voice.

"Ya'll know I'm a captive audience to your flirtin' right?" Riddick's voice was a low growl of irritation. "You forget about me? The third person on the channel?"

"Cannot forget Rick," River's voice was amused. "Jack's partner."

"Yep, that'd be me," Riddick was rolling his eyes, Jayne could hear it in the man's voice. "That shuttle could land anytime now. I don't exactly enjoy rock and sand gardens, reminds me of a really crap planet I got stuck on."

"Landin' right now," Jayne knew enough about pilotin' to know when someone was getting ready to set down. Geoff landed the shuttle with the same deft ease the merc associated with Wash and hit the button to unlock the doors. In less than a minute River and Rick had come through those same doors and were slamming them shut.

"Must go now," River commanded, "She comes."

"On our way ma'am," The pilot nodded and began to reverse the process until they were flying back towards the docks.

Jayne turned in his seat to look at River and make sure she was all right when she flew into his arms. "My Jayne," She shivered against him and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her as close as he could.

"River girl," He murmured. "'S'all right, I got you. Get you warmed up," Jayne rubbed his hands over her back and arms. She was sitting in his lap, trying to burrow into him.

"It ain't that cold out there," Riddick told him quietly as River finally quieted. "Think it's more the stress...ain't easy to sit an' wait an' know they're closin' in."

"Rick has the right of it," River whispered. "Darkness was all that concealed us. So afraid they'd find us and take me back. Wouldn't see my Jayne again."

"Ain't gonna happen," Jayne kissed her forehead and hair and cheek until she was clinging to him for hopefully a different reason than fear. "I won't ever let them take you back." He tipped her face up to his, "Ya believe me River? You ain't ever gotta go back there. And if they ever found you and took you somehow, wouldn't stop until I got you back. Promise."

"We're back home," Geoff announced as the shuttle docked. "I'm Geoff Tucker ma'am, ships pilot."

"River, back up pilot, husker, gun hand," River whispered. "That is Rick, pilot, gun hand. A pleasure to meet you Geoff."

"Pleasure's all mine ma'am," The pilot pushed himself up and blinked as Riddick studied him a moment, and then nodded before pushing open the doors so the pilot could precede him out. "Problem?" Geoff frowned up at the goggle wearing man.

"Didn't realize you'd lost a leg," Riddick shrugged. "Ain't like it matters to a pilot anyway, just didn't realize until you moved why you smelt like old pain an' wood an' steel."

"I'm just as—"

Jayne had stood with River still in his arms and gently set her on her feet as he moved towards the exit after Riddick. His little partner shook her head, cutting Geoff off at the beginning of what sounded like a pretty good rant, "Rick simply makes an observation Geoff. Unparalleled senses. Doesn't care about your leg, or lack thereof." She took his hand in hers and shook it, "He speaks truly, and my Jayne thinks so as well, very talented pilot. Doesn't need a leg."

"That's…right kind of you to say ma'am," Geoff slid an apologetic look at Riddick's back as he shrugged and walked off the shuttle and down the narrow hall, plainly in search of Jack.

Jayne chuckled at the confused expression on the pilot's face, "River weren't jokin' 'bout Rick's senses. He can probably smell Jack's scent from up here if she's on the boat and she is."

"I really don't quite understand ya'll," Geoff shook his head and River's laugh was like a fresh breeze over Jayne's skin.

"Come and sit with she and her friends and we will explain," River promised with a smile. She released Geoff's hand and grabbed Jayne's. "She and Jack will be eager to see if they can improve upon the prosthetic."

Jayne sent a grin back at the mechanic as River tugged him down the stairs, "See why I wanted her back so bad?"

* * *

 

**_River_ **

River was aware of Jayne's amusement beside her and Geoff's confusion as her big partner led her down to the galley where Big Daddy, Jack, Jinny and now Riddick were waiting. Jack was laughing at her partner, "So you got to see River dance huh?"

"Little weird how bendy she is," Riddick was shaking his head as he sipped something, water most likely, from a cup. "And I really don't get the whole up on her toes thing. Pretty though."

River laughed and shook her head, "It's called ballet Rick." She took a seat across from Jack and leaned against Jayne as he sat beside her and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. His thoughts were still in some turmoil from his worry and relief and right now all he was thinking was that he didn't want to stop touching her yet. That was fine with her, her partner was very tactile, just as she was, and having his hands, or skin against hers was more comforting than any amount of words could be.

"Her dancin's part a why River's so gorram good at fightin'," Jayne's voice was proud, she could feel his pleasure in her fighting prowess, her accomplishments. "Don't hurt she's so pretty most fellas don' think she could hurt 'em iffen she tried."

"I'm right glad you're doin' fine," Big Daddy's voice had a note of concern in it. "Mite worried though, 'bout the lengths your old cap'n'll go to, to get you back."

"Big Daddy is worried that Mal will try to storm White Lightning," River mused. She considered for a moment and shook her head. "Doubt it will come to that," She told the big man with a half-smile. "No reason to suspect we are here, no way to track us here. Might suspect that I am with Jayne, but they don't know where Jayne is."

"What about the earwigs?" Jack asked pulling hers out and clicking it off. "Could they dig the signal out and track us with those? They're still working off Serenity's system."

River absently imitated Jack, turning off her comm and watched as Jayne and Riddick did the same, "Kaylee or Wash would have to realize we were using the system," She said slowly, considering the possibilities. "It would take Kaylee time to dig it out. Wash wouldn't say anything about it, not until he was confronted and even then, if he could lie to Mal and not Zoe he would avoid telling the truth."

"So we're basically hopin' they're too het up to really realize we were usin' the system until it's too late for 'em to do anything about findin' us," Riddick rubbed his forehead as if he was tired and River nodded sympathetically.

"Imperfect situation," She agreed and looked at Big Daddy. "Comms are off now, signal cut."

"So we'll wait an' see," The captain nodded slowly. "We're due for some customers pretty soon here, Liddy'll be stumblin' in and gettin' ready for work." He looked at the two men, "Normally I'd ask ya'll to help out but I'm thinkin' it's best the four of you play least in sight 'til we're offa Persephone. Next planet we hit is soon enough."

"That is much appreciated," River smiled. "If there are chores to do we will help with those if you like."

"Nah, figure you folks have had a hard enough day," Big Daddy shook his head and stood up with a little smile. "Just keep those comms off an' we'll be fine."

"Lemme know if Reynolds comes sniffin' around," Jayne's smile was nasty. "Be a gorram pleasure to let him know I ain't his man anymore." Big Daddy gave him a nod and strode out of the galley, Jinny standing up and moving over to the stove and starting up a meal.

River put her hand over his on the table and stroked her fingers over his skin, "My Jayne is still overcome with anger and worry. Must not let them control him," She reminded him gently. "Better man than that."

"Try to be," Jayne nodded looking down at her, his bright blue eyes warm. "Ain't always though River an' you know it."

"Neither am I always nice," River put her hand over his heart. "He looks better in red but she would not change his colors without his permission ever again." His heart gave a hard thump under her fingers just before he lifted his palm and pressed her hand to his chest.

"Reckon what I did back then makes us even," Jayne murmured his deep voice gentle. "Ain't got no call to think on it anymore. Not for you, not for me. We let alla that wash away after Miranda."

"Ya keep talkin' on that," Jinny observed. "Made mention of it before. What's the Miranda wave got to do with the two a ya?"

"We tend to mark time by it," Jayne said easily, not quite a lie and not the full truth. "Sorta…woke us both up."

"A catalyst," River agreed. "We began to truly see each other after Miranda." She smiled up at Jayne recalling the first time she'd realized he could be her friend. She'd been wandering restlessly about the hold while he was lifting and had come to sit on a crate nearby.

He'd just rolled his eyes at her, "I ain't your entertainment Lil 'Tross." Jayne had picked up using the captain's name for her.

"Nothing for her to do," River shrugged at him. "Why?"

"They ain't figured out you're reliable yet," Jayne had shrugged back at her. "Why don't you put on some music an' dance iffen you're bored?"

River shook her head, "Simon said no more until she has proper footwear." She had sighed and drawn her knees up, circling her legs with her arms. "She has no employment. Has no worth."

"Ain't rightly true," Jayne had put the barbell down and sat up to look at her. "You're damn deadly in a fight."

"There is no fighting allowed on Serenity," River made a little face at him, it had caused Jayne's eyes to crinkle in amusement and a grin had spread his lips.

"Well gimme a bit an' I'll tussle with ya," He'd offered. "Could use a good stretch an' it ain't like Zoe or Mal are gonna fight with me."

"He would spar with her? Even though she cut on him?" River remembered tilting her head curiously but she'd been eager to do something.

"An' I backhanded ya an' then…" Jayne had shaken his head. "Well, we both got things we ain't proud of." He'd pointed out, "Figure you could maybe teach me some a those moves a yours."

"She would be honored," River had nodded and smiled. That had gotten a little smile from Jayne in return and he'd offered her a gun magazine for her to look at while she waited for him to finish his workout.

She'd read it, and frowned over some of the specifications of the weapons therein, asking him about them. He still hadn't finished his lifting and so she'd picked up one of his smaller free weights and began to try and use it. That had gotten him rolling his eyes and he'd stopped lifting again to correct her use of the weight. "Ya can't just lift it an' let it fall," He'd stopped her and put his hands on her arm and under her hand. "See, lift it up, an' then lower it, nice an' slow each way," Jayne had been very specific. "Builds muscle, an' you don't hurt nothin'."

"Jayne would show her this? Help her become more… like him?" River had liked how his hands felt, warm and careful on her skin. His thoughts weren't overwhelming now that she could control her Reading though she caught a trailing image of his hands on her skin and the sensation of softness, silk.

"Yeah, be a nice little trade," Jayne had nodded. "You do that with both arms an' then start some other ones, like this," He'd demonstrated the different positions her arms should take and how they should move in order to develop her muscles. "Do 'bout ten each a those, both arms, an' by then I should be done with my liftin'."

River had obeyed and finally asked the question that had been in her mind since he'd first addressed her when she sat down, "Why does Jayne call me Lil 'Tross, or Moony or Moonbrain? Never uses my name."

Jayne had sat up after replacing the barbell and used a towel to wipe some of the sweat off his neck and arms and face, "Well." He shrugged slightly before he looked directly at her. "You ain't ever given me permission. Couldn't at first, an' then… well, you ain't ever said to call you by name. My ma, she taught me good that ya don't get over familiar with a lady lessen she invites it. An' I ain't gonna call you Miss Tam."

"But Jayne allows her to address him by name," River remembered she'd been confused by the inequity. "It is not fair that he does not call her by hers."

"Well," He'd shrugged and grinned at her, a wicked smile that had done strange things to her innards and nethers. "Gimme permission."

"She would be very pleased if Jayne would call her River," She'd smiled back hopefully and his grin had widened. Now she was called back to herself with the thump of his heart beneath her fingers, the warmth of his thoughts brushing against hers, his fascination with her mouth, his curiosity over what her skin would feel like under his lips.

"River," His voice was still gentle, recognizing when she was simply remembering and when Reading had become too much for her. " _A chuisle_?"

She blinked at the unfamiliar word and tilted her head at him curiously, "Rare that Jayne uses his old language." She whispered and repeated it, "Acushla. Someday he will teach her?"

"All the words I know," He nodded and his smile was like the sun coming up. "Right now though, Jinny's gonna put a plate in front a ya an' you'd best eat most of it."

"Your man's right," Jinny's voice was amused and warning both. "Dunno how hungry you are but you don't waste food." She set a plate piled with rice, chicken protein and stir fried vegetables in front of River, doing the same with the other three, Riddick's and Jayne's plates piled noticeably higher.

"Thank you Jinny," River echoed Jayne's voice and obediently began to eat. It was good, nourishing plain food. The type that Zoe knew how to make, she or Mal were decent cooks. Jayne and Kaylee were the best while Wash and Simon didn't bear thinking on. Simon's wouldn't kill you but you'd die of starvation before you'd choose to eat it. Wash's might just be poisonous; nobody had been inclined to chance it.

River watched her companions thoughtfully, Riddick and Jayne ate the same way, not particularly polite but not awfully rude. She'd broken Jayne of the habit of talking with his mouth full by simply not speaking to him when he did it. Three meals of her not answering a question until he'd chewed and swallowed had done the trick. Neither of the men had much in the way of table manners and Jack was only marginally better. But from the pleased feeling Jinny was emanating and the approving look she bestowed on the other three it was River who was being rude by eating slowly and carefully.

Her theory was proved out when Jinny stood at her elbow and glared down at her, "My food not good enough missy?"

River blinked up at her, "It's very good." She replied truthfully. "Better than my brother's cooking."

"Then why ain't you eatin'," Jinny folded her arms and her foot began an ominous tapping.

Jayne rescued her, "Jinny you just ain't used to folks with actual manners." He shrugged, "River's from Osiris, she's raised real proper." He put something in his mouth and when he would have spoken around it River's sharp elbow met his side and he made an oofing noise but swallowed before he spoke again, "See?"

"Taught to savor a meal," River said softly. She set her chopsticks down and twisted her fingers together, not certain where to look. If she ate too fast her system would rebel, she'd eaten food cold rather than bolt it down and risk being sick. But if she didn't eat fast it was a discourtesy.

Again, Jayne came to her rescue, "River, it's all right." His big hand set down his chopsticks and stroked over her braid and back. "Just take your time. Don't want ya gettin' sick." He picked up his chopsticks in his left hand instead of his right and kept his arm around her waist, eating more slowly as a result.

"Aw, now honey don't worry on it," Jinny drew up a chair and sat in it to look River in the eye. "Stomach give you trouble if you eat too quick? Like as not have it all out again?"

River nodded suddenly feeling extremely ashamed, "My mother…" She shook her head. "Wasn't allowed to eat quickly. Used to always be hungry, after dance, felt like I was starved." She was aware of Jack looking at her, Jayne determinedly eating so he couldn't start hitting something. He knew this story, knew why she had to eat slowly. "When I ate too quickly…too many times at lunch with her… she…" River shook her head again. "It isn't important." She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat again.

"Jayne?" Jinny's gaze was on the big merc, but he wasn't going to answer something that was River's business.

"Just leave it Jinny," Jayne told her quietly. "River's core, but core don't always mean… well. There's reasons why River an' Simon were on Serenity."

River felt a flash of comprehension from Jack as her old friend realized just what River's mother had done, "Kinda makes your brother dopin' ya even worse don't it." Jack's green eyes were hot with anger and River could feel a burst of rage from Riddick as he understood too.

Jinny wasn't slow either, her gaze on River's deliberate bites and methodical chewing, "If it goes cold before you're done you tell me an' I'll warm it for you." She stood and greeted someone else who came into the galley and told them to pull up a chair beside Jayne.

"I'm sorry Jinny, didn't know we had folks aboard," The man's voice was quiet. "I'll just, uh…"

"He should sit and have a meal," River kept her voice just as quiet, not wanting to make the man's head ache worse. "He will feel better if he does."

Jayne nudged the chair next to him out with his foot and River nodded in satisfaction when a grimy man in engineering coveralls sat down, "I don't mean to bother you folks."

"Not a bother," Jack shook her head. "We're just hitchin' a ride." She slanted a grin at Riddick, "Big Daddy's gonna put us to work."

River finally managed to eat as much as she could and pushed her plate towards Jayne hopefully. Her partner's arm hadn't moved from around her waist but he pressed a quick kiss to her temple and began to gratefully eat what was left of her meal.

"You gotta do that a lot?" Riddick's voice was low, not worried, but curious.

"Find it difficult to eat great quantities at a time," River explained quietly. "Used to try to eat small meals, more than three, to keep my system in tune."

"So buncha little things rather than one big one, don't make you feel sick?" Riddick was considering that, "Picked up some a those fruit bars, ones with granola an' what have you in 'em. Those be all right for a snack?"

"Part of why Jayne insisted on buying them," River nodded. "The bag of food I bought, protein chips, dried fruit, nuts, snack food. Expensive but worth the cost." She scooted closer to Jayne and leaned against him as he finished her meal. He paused and rubbed his cheek over her hair before he finished eating and stacked their plates together.

"Why don't we check with Big Daddy, see if the stuff has arrived an' where we can put it," Jayne suggested. "Know you got stuff for you an' Jack to wear. We'll wanna get all of it situated in our bunk. An' I'll put up that canvas."

"Good thought," River nodded and began to reluctantly disengage herself from Jayne. She felt a pulse of regret from her partner and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she picked up the plates and brought them to Jinny in the meal preparation part of the galley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So a bit more of a hint as to River's childhood and upbringing. And they're almost underway. Hope you're all still having fun with this.
> 
> Gaelic Translations:
> 
> A chuisle (My pulse/my darling)


	10. Ten

_**Riddick** _

Putting up the canvas hadn't taken long, and hauling their purchases, mostly the clothes and guns out of the bay hadn't taken much time either. River and Jack were trying on the dresses while Jayne and Riddick checked the equipment. Jack sounded happy, ecstatic nearly and he wanted to see her face like that, she smelt strongly of chocolate and River of caramel, "Hey you two, ain't fair to keep alla that to yourselves, let us see the stuff too." He called with a grin at Jayne.

He'd pushed his goggles up so he was seeing pretty well in the ship light, and got the full impact of Jack in a dress that fluttered around her ankles and circled her waist in a dark color. Long sleeves fell in bells to her wrists and her hair had something shiny in it. Even her feet looked dainty in embroidered slipper type shoes. She twirled in front of him, making the skirt fly out and exposing her calves and ankles. "Isn't it pretty? And there's another one in green that matches my eyes."

"What color's this one?" Riddick caught her by the waist and felt the soft suede of the cincher type sash that wrapped tightly from her hips to underneath her breasts. The fabric of the gown was something equally soft, not even catching on his rough hands. "Feels nice."

"This one's a gold color, darker than the sand on planet," Jack told him with a smile. "The waist is dark brown. River said she picked it to go with my hair and the other to go with my eyes."

Jayne was trying to coax River out and finally the other girl appeared in some dark color that looked like hearts blood to his eyesight. The style was similar to Jack's though and Riddick had the thought that it was deliberate, so that Jack would remember River was her friend, wanted to share everything with her. River's nod towards him let him know his reading of her motivations was correct and he smiled. "Reckon she did a fine job a pickin' these out," He traced a fingertip over the scooped neck and its drawstring tied with a ribbon. "Seems like they'll fit you when you're through growin' too."

River giggled as Jayne tugged her closer and twirled her around before pulling her into his lap for a hug, "In six months Jack will make me look like a child playing dress up. Made sure to find gowns that would flatter how she looks now and will look soon." She slanted a teasing glance at her friend. "All the men will stare at the jade eyed beauty and ignore the child."

"Yeah right," Jack rolled her eyes even as Riddick growled at the thought. "Rick you don't gotta worry. Ain't like I got an interest in other men. Let 'em look. They ain't gonna touch without losin' fingers."

"Or other appendages," River added dryly and Riddick sighed, pressing a kiss to Jack's cheek.

"Go on then an' get changed so you don't wreck 'em," He suggested giving her a swat on the _pì gu_. "Pretty as you look I might just forget that you ain't quite old enough yet."

Jack's grin of pleasure was like a burst of brown sugar and maple syrup as she pulled River with her into the room. Thanks to his keen senses he could hear fabric sliding over skin and their voices discussing if the reactions had been favorable. Jayne had his head tilted like he could hear something, but his scent wasn't giving much away as far as what he could actually understand.

Finally, the girls were out, dressed near identically in cargo pants and long-sleeved tee shirts. Both of them had guns on their hips while River had a sword on her back. Jack had a frown on her face, shaking her head slowly and looked at Riddick, "What do you hear?"

That had become their private signal when she thought something was off, wrong or she couldn't pin point a problem. River tilted her head and looked at Riddick and Jayne, shaking her head. So she had nothing that she was Reading.

Riddick listened, first to the sounds of White Lightning, then to the docks outside, going as far out as he could and finally shook his head, "Can't find anything Jack." He frowned and looked at her in concern. She was rubbing her forehead.

"What do you hear?" Jack shuddered and her eyes stared wide at nothing at the same moment Riddick heard a tiny pinging noise from the earwigs still on the table.

"Nothin' but the rain," Riddick scowled at the little comms and Jack nodded.

"Grab your gun and bring the cat in," She breathed out slowly.

"Boom boom boom," Riddick looked down at the earwigs and Jayne stared at them too.

"You hearin' what I am?" The taller man asked quietly nodded towards the comms.

"Yeah," Riddick looked at River who was tilting her head, listening but not speaking. Finally, she turned, went back to the bunk and came out with her cortex. Opening it up she typed silently onto the screen and turned it towards them to read.

' _Mal had Kaylee dig out our signal, they have tracked it to White Lightning, turned the comms on by remote. Go down to the bay and get rid of the comms. If I don't speak they can't hear me. They hear everything you've said since Jack asked you 'What do you hear' the second time. Go now._ ' River's face was worried and she closed the cortex and retreated into the bunk just as Jinny entered the galley again.

"Where's—" Jayne scooped up the earwigs in one huge fist, hopefully muffling the sound and shook his head at Jinny who changed her question mid-sentence, "Andreas got to? He was s'posed to help me with those crates down in the bay."

"I'll give you a hand with 'em," Riddick offered. "Just tell me where an' I'll bring 'em up." He nodded at Jayne and began to follow the big man down the hall to the stairs. The bay had the ramp down and men beginning to wander towards it. Jayne was moving at a steady trot, nearly silent on the metal of the ship's deck. "Cobb, gimme two of 'em," He held out his hand and closed his fist around the tiny comms as he walked to the bottom of the ramp.

Cobb went to the opposite side of the airlock and with a quick hard motion of his hand broke the earwigs before he threw them beneath the ship parked next to their berth. Riddick grinned and deliberately crushed one, leaving one live before he did the same. If Reynolds really wanted to find them now he'd have to choose out of three different ships.

"Well that's somethin'," Cobb growled in irritation, burnt oak in his scent. "Why'd you only kill one of 'em? They can still track the other one."

"Cuts the signal down," Riddick shrugged as they mounted the ramp and walked back into the ship. "They still wanna find us they got enough to do it. And maybe I'll get the chance to hit some of the people who like to dope little girls half their size."

"Get in line," Jayne nearly snarled the words and Riddick chuckled. "It ain't your woman they're trying to take."

"No it ain't," He agreed still amused. "She's turnin' into a friend though."

"She's right good at that," Jayne nodded and jerked his head towards the stairs. "I'mma stay down here, keep an eye out. Just don't let River come down here an' whatever you do, nobody from Serenity goes up them stairs."

"That ain't gonna be a problem," Riddick knew from the scents he could catch that River and Jack were sitting together both of them worried but not truly afraid, not yet. That would only happen if Serenity's crew mounted the steps.

He jogged back up to the galley and found Jack with River in their bunk, the little Reader smelling faintly of burnt cinnamon while Jack was smelling strongly of cherries; his partner was deeply pissed, "Got rid a the comms." He reported sitting down next to them. "Cobb's keeping watch from the bay," He looked at River, "He don't want you to come down, no matter what. I'm gonna guard the stairs."

"Place is with my partner," River objected quietly. "Must watch his back. Mal doesn't like him, would do him harm I think."

"I'll watch his back," Riddick said quietly. "But he don't want you down there where they can get at you." He watched her face and shook his head over her mulish expression, "Time an' a place for everything River." He reminded her, "Jayne can take care a himself an' I got his back. But he'll be the worse if you ain't somewhere he knows is safe. Don't distract him by puttin' yourself in harm's way an' it'll all work out."

"He's right River," Jack agreed sliding her arm around her friend's waist. Her gaze went far away and blank for a moment and she looked at Riddick. "You'd better go back down." She pulled out her pistol and put it in her lap. "River an' me'll stay up here. I'm nothin' but a liability with this leg. But with guns and shivs, me an' River can hold here."

"All right," Riddick took a deep breath and grinned his old evil grin. Jack's answering smirk was just as wicked and he kissed her forehead. "Sing out if you need anything, I'll send Jinny in so she knows what's goin' on."

He had a word with the cook and when he left she was getting out her shotgun and sitting in the galley. Riddick took the stairs at a soundless run and emerged from the metal shaft to see Jayne Cobb standing square in front of Malcolm Reynolds at the bottom of the ramp. Big Daddy was walking slowly forward from a table in the corner where he'd been sitting with Geoff. The bartender Liddy both looked and smelt nervous but Big Daddy was dead calm. Riddick took a good spot near the wall and prepared to do as he'd promised, listening to the rather heated conversation Jayne was having with Mal.

"I know you took her Jayne," Reynolds was telling the bigger man. "She's been missin' the whole day."

"You saw me walk off your boat an' I ain't been back to it," Jayne replied heatedly. "You can't keep your crew ain't my never mind. But I didn't take her."

"You're lyin'," Mal snapped the words out. "Where else would she be if not with you?"

"How's 'bout anywhere that's elsewise," Jayne nearly snarled back. "I done paid half a my passage, workin' the other half. An' I don't gotta account for myself with you no more Mal. I ain't your crew. Never was really, just like she never really was either."

"She is my crew and she belongs on Serenity with the folk that care about her," Reynolds was getting irked and Riddick nearly scowled as he saw the first mate step out of the shadows. She was good but he was better.

"Hell," Jayne shook his head and his back went stiff with fury that Riddick could smell like burning oak. "You care about her huh? So much that you an' Zoe got needles in your pockets, drugs to dope the girl up an' take her back. Don't see Simon with ya so he musta caught up with her at some point. Dollars to dumplin's he tried to use the drugs or words to take her back with him," Riddick didn't have to see Cobb's face to know he was glaring down at his old captain. "That's how much ya'll care about her. Don't let her be nothin' but what you want. Just like her gorram parents. Put her in the box and keep her there 'til you need her genius brain."

"That's got nothin' to do with you," Mal gave a halfway decent snarl himself. "You'll turn her over or I swear by the dear an' fluffy lord you'll wish you had." Riddick could smell the scent of shame coming off of Zoe, the realization maybe, of what they'd been doing to the girl they swore they loved like family. Mal didn't seem to realize it though, too caught up in his fight to even realize Jayne had back up.

"What are you gonna do to me Mal? Space me? We're dirtside," Jayne's growl was every bit as dangerous as Riddick's might have been in his place. "You can try to fight me, or shoot me, hell you could have Zoe shoot me. But that's the problem with a man like me Mal, I'm a gun hand. I'm mean an' I'm tough an' I'm gorram hard to kill. But what you never figured out, is that I'm also _gāi sǐ_ loyal."

"Loyal? _Cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài_ you're loyal," Mal nearly squawked in his indignation and Riddick almost, almost, forgot himself enough to laugh. "You threatened to sell me out at least once a week."

"No," Jayne shook his head, "I'm loyal to her. She's my partner. And if she got off that damned boat then I'll find her. But I got no obligation to you Mal. I don't owe anythin' to the man treated me lower'n _chòu mǎniào_."

"What'd you want a raise in pay?" Reynolds rolled his eyes and Riddick wondered if shooting him just on general principles would be all right with River and Jayne. The man was starting to annoy him somethin' powerful. "All you ever cared about was money Jayne."

"No, that was all you ever saw me care about," Jayne shook his head and unfolded his arms, putting his hands on his hips, and dangerously close to his guns. "But she's worth more than your ten percent. If I can find her don't care if I hafta live with pigs to be around her. Hell I'd go an' work for Badger if that's what she wanted. But since you decided I ain't good enough for her I left. Since she left, well that means I matter more to her than you do Mal. And that's what sticks in your craw. The _gǒu niáng yǎng de_ who tried to sell her matters more than her Cap'n Daddy."

"So help me Jayne, I ain't playin'," Mal was growing calmer, just as Jayne was turning icy cold. "You had better bring her down or I swear I'll riddle you with holes."

"That you won't," Big Daddy had plainly had enough, walking to the bottom of the ramp to stand by Jayne. Almost three inches taller than Jayne and half again as wide in his white coat and suit Captain Holbrook was an imposing figure, "This man is in my employ and he's doing a decent job of keepin' the riff raff out far as I can tell."

"Thank you Big Daddy," Jayne's head dipped in a polite nod.

"He's kidnapped one of my crew," Reynolds addressed the more reasonable seeming of the two men.

"Well if he has then he's holding her someplace else," Big Daddy put his hands on his hips. "I got exactly three women on this boat. My bartender, my cook and one waitress I just hired, little thing with pretty green eyes an' brown hair. Now if that's your crew member she waltzed aboard calm as you please and ain't over familiar with my new gun hand. Near's I can tell she's related to the other fella I hired."

"That'd be me," Riddick snarled from the shadows. "Now we appreciate like anythin' that you took us off that wreck. An' soon's we scrape coin together we'll send you whatever it is you think we owe. But Cobb's been nice to my girl an' decent to me. Don't appreciate the way you treated him an' his little partner. Seems to me the girl's better off without self-righteous folks treat her like a box a rocks one minute and an angel the next." He moved forward the better for them to see the gun he held, "Now you've got exactly five seconds to take your leave or I'll riddle you with holes."

"You heard him," Big Daddy hooked his hands on his lapels. "Now if you want you can send a wave with the girl's description and name and I'll keep an eye out. But she ain't a passenger on this boat." He began to turn away, "You're blockin' my customers, so you'd best go on before my gun hands decide their job description is a mite too narrow an' start shootin' of their own accord."

"Jayne I ain't done with you," Mal was spitting mad and Riddick kept his gun trained on the man.

"I'm done with you Mal," Jayne shook his head. "Unless I find River an' she wants to see you, I don't expect to ever see you again Captain Reynolds."

Riddick watched as the big man deliberately turned his back on Mal and began to walk back towards the bar. When it seemed as if Reynolds would draw his gun, Riddick decided he'd had enough, "Go on an' keep lookin' for your crew." He scowled at the Browncoat, "There's nothin' belongs to you here."

"We'll see," Reynolds shook his head and began to stalk away. Zoe turned to go after him but stopped when Riddick called her name.

"Got nothin' against you, and Jayne speaks pretty high of your man, but you come and point a weapon at my partner again, come in search of what ain't yours, you'd best be wearin' better than that armor," Riddick told her flatly. "I don't care that you're carrying. I'll shiv you straight in the belly and bedamned to you having any children if you live through the wound I'll give you."

Zoe nodded, her dark face pasty and he could smell her fear as she turned to follow Mal. Riddick took a seat on a crate near the entrance and took a deep breath. That had been a fun exercise in lying and deception. And now he knew that Jayne smelt of rust when he lied.

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

Jack sat quietly with River listening as the Reader repeated the conversation a deck below, tears trickling down her face. Finally it was done, Mal was gone and his possessive angry thoughts with him. "My Jayne has a drink before he comes up to see us," River said softly. "Doesn't trust himself to be gentle. Doesn't know I'd welcome him however he chose to come to me."

"Want me to go down and send him up?" Jack asked softly, not really sure what River needed. She'd been able to see everything that had happened down in the bay, one bonus to being clairvoyant, she didn't need to be somewhere to know what was happening, especially if she had a connection to it. Since Riddick had been there she'd Seen most of what was happening.

"No," River leaned against her and shook her head after a moment. "No good ever came of forcing my Jayne to do something, even if its something he wants." She thought for a moment and a little giggled bubbled out of her mouth, "Especially if it's something he wants."

"Contrary?" Jack asked with a smile.

"You have no idea," The dancer shook her head. "He's amazingly stubborn. Why do you think I'm just waiting for him to do something? If I try to push him I'll end up waiting until I'm twenty-eight before he kisses me."

"What's the big deal about kissing?" Jack really didn't get it, though now that she thought about it Riddick didn't kiss either, at least he hadn't ever kissed her. Of course until a few weeks ago he'd thought she was twelve. Being twenty-one and looking twelve didn't help her case.

"Narcotic compound spread over a seal on the lips," River explained. "Kiss someone afterwards and they get it on their lips. They go to sleep, abruptly and deeply. Rob or kill them at your leisure."

"Whores use that to rob people," Jack realized. "And since Riddick and Jayne..."

"Used to frequent whores," River continued the sentence. "Neither of them is accustomed to kissing." She sighed and Jack echoed it.

"Have you ever been kissed?" Jack asked her friend curiously.

"Exuberant, kissed Jayne when he gave her a present, very quickly on the mouth," River nodded. "But that does not count as a kiss. Not romantic, no participation by partner... No, never been kissed."

"Yeah," Jack shrugged and shook her head. "Me neither." She looked at River, "I know what my problem is, but what's stopped you?"

"Never alone," River shrugged. "Very rarely allowed off the boat and always in the company of others. When alone with Jayne...very conscious of his proximity but he never expressed an interest in such things with her, not until recently."

"How'd he express an interest then," Jack wanted to know, "Since you ain't seemed real sure that he was even interested."

"She was able to purchase clothing that fit her properly," River smiled slightly. "Jayne's man parts stood up and took notice. Jayne had difficulty remaining in the same room as his partner without thinking on her legs or other curves. Spoke with her, assured her that he'd always known she was a woman, but other seeing her as adult made him subconsciously relax his mental control. Thought she was beautiful. But still tried to keep those thoughts away from her until she told him, she did not mind his thoughts, nor his dreams. And then Riddick very neatly proved that Jayne wants me to belong to him. Very nice of your partner."

"So he's been thinkin' on sexin' you but he ain't been thinkin' of kissin'," Jack clarified. "What about Riddick?"

"Riddick does not think of sexing me," River hastened to reassure her friend and Jack rolled her eyes.

"No River, I meant does he think about me? Sexin' me," Jack clarified.

"Oh," The Reader tilted her head. "Not as such," She shook her head and Jack felt suddenly and intensely miserable.

"He thinks of you often," River looked at Jack and she could see her friends' eyes were thoughtful, considering what she'd read from Riddick. "I can tell he's a highly sexual male, he's much like Jayne in that regard, but he does his best to not put you in that context."

"At all?" Jack thought of the touching that day and frowned, "But he..."

"His thoughts are constantly touching on you," River tried to explain and Jack nodded her understanding. "He thinks of you, of what it will be like when he allows himself to touch. His desire right now... it is more that you be his. Hoped you would want him when you turned eighteen. He feels as if he is unworthy of you, because he thought of you when you weren't grown. Doesn't seem to understand that it's not your body, it's your mind that calls to him."

"So he doesn't think I'm pretty even?" Jack hadn't really thought this could get worse but River just kept proving her wrong. River made a frustrated noise in her throat and Jack looked at her, "What?"

"Jack is not understanding her," River shook her head. "Rick does not understand that what he feels for you is love. It goes beyond sex. He delights in your intelligence; in your sharp tongue and your touch…it comforts him. He simply wanted you to belong to him, wouldn't think of sex with you because you appeared so young. He wanted to teach and protect you."

"So you're sayin' that what he feels is changin'," Jack said slowly. "Got a little indicator of that this afternoon."

"Yes," River nodded. "He wasn't easy for me to Read, at least not at first but when his thoughts concern you they're so loud he nearly shouts with it. The idea that you are of an age that isn't too disparate from his, that you are a woman, an adult mentally and soon to be one physically, it eases his mind. His worry over how good you felt in his arms, his need to touch constantly, is eased. He felt like a dirty old man whenever he started to wonder what you'd look like grown, at least he did before."

"So part of why he's been blowin' hot and cold since we met has been because he thought I was a kid and he was feelin' like he wanted me anyway," Jack said slowly. "Poor man."

"Yes," River nodded. "Like Kaylee's old storybooks of a man being attracted to a woman disguised as a boy. Disgust with himself for the desire, relief to find his instincts were correct."

"No wonder he's been skimpy on the touching since we got to Serenity," Jack felt an intense sensation of relief. "Hearing I was twenty-one and just stunted must have been…" She shook her head in amazement.

"Never experienced anything like it," River nodded. "As if everything inside him came to life and began to shout just for you. His mind is like…it's hard to describe. He's balanced, perfectly balanced between intellect and instinct. Your Richard is much like my Jayne in that way."

"Yeah?" Jack could feel the smile spreading her mouth at the thought of Riddick's happiness or whatever it was, just because he'd heard she was old enough for him. "So we both like bad men?"

"No," River took the question seriously, not how Jack had meant it but that was all right. She liked to hear River thoughts; they were always interesting and sometimes funny. "No, our men aren't bad. They are…morally unique."

"That's an interestin' way to describe an escaped an' convicted murderer," Jack's voice dropped to a whisper even as she giggled.

"No, they don't…" River rolled her eyes at Jack and in turn Jack made a silly face at her. River's smile was fond and exasperated both. "Most people follow the moral code laid out for them by society, by their parents or whoever influenced them the most. Our men don't. They have their own moral code."

"The one that says murder is all right but killing a kid for bait is wrong," Jack said slowly remembering Riddick's decision to kill Johns on planet. She'd seen it, seen it in her mind, that Johns had wanted her dead, the nothing but trouble kid, easily dismissed as worthless except for her use as bait. Riddick's fury at the thought hadn't shown in his face or voice but she'd seen it in the suddenly relaxed lines of his body as he made a decision. Her tears afterward hadn't ever been for Johns, but in the sheer relief that Riddick would never have killed her.

"Yes," River nodded. "To the minds of our men, the death of a man, an adult who has wronged is nothing. Easily dismissed. To my Jayne, torturing a man for answers, if it is in the protection of others, is nothing over which to worry. But rape… or abuse of the helpless…torture simply because someone can…he has killed for less."

"So our partners have developed their own set of mores," Jack said thoughtfully. "What about us?"

"Not sure what Jack has been doing since escape," River was looking at Jack with the fathomless gaze that meant she was Reading her. "Interesting," She said after a moment. "Like me, learned to be flexible in certain areas, unbending in others."

"Survival's been all I worried about for a long time," Jack offered with a frown. "Don't know if that makes me good or bad…just know that worryin' 'bout niceties like property boundaries, wasn't the way to keep body an' soul together."

She looked at River, halfway worried the other girl would denounce her for her choices but River just shrugged, "Allowed myself to be used by my old captain, expertise needed and then, as Jayne said, put back in my box. Let the thoughts of others define me. No room to throw stones at Jack's survival when I am such a poor creature."

Jack blinked in surprise, "River that don't make you weak, well, not really." She shook her head, "So was it the smartest thing you'd done? Probably not, but you were there for more'n three years right? And you were crazy the first year. What could you have done differently?"

"Pushed Simon and Mal for a place, for more than what they let me be," River mused meeting Jack's gaze. "But Simon was overprotective, Mal thought I was fragile, even after Miranda they thought I needed to be protected. Tried to…be more, to show them I... Learned all I could. The only one who saw me was Jayne."

"River, dunno how much you know about Captain's and the law," Jack said slowly. "But Captain's word is law on his ship. Iffen Big Daddy decided we were headed to Boros an' not Beylix he'd be within his rights. Crew has to obey the Captain. Captain's responsible for everything on the ship, law abidin' or not. Crew does somethin' wrong, it's the Captain who's on the line for it. So your old crew really couldn't disobey him an' let you do what you pleased."

"It still seems weak," River shook her head stubbornly and Jack sighed.

"Jayne don't seem like the type to tolerate weak real well," She pointed out dryly. "An' knowin' who you are an' tryin' to do more than they'd let you ain't weak. Can't help what's past."

"Jack is right," River conceded and it was her turn to sigh. "Didn't get a good idea, just impressions, about your life since the Academy. What have you been doing?"

"Didn't get out until…almost a year after you?" Jack shook her head, "My sense a time is off. The drugs you know? But it was right about the time of the Miranda Wave. They were all in a frenzy about it, really going chī xiàn . I must have gotten used to the drugs because when they doped me I really didn't feel it. Faked that I did and killed my guard. Got out by the skin of my teeth. I think I've still got a piece of a bullet in my upper arm. But I stowed away board the first ship I could find. Spent the next year and a half running, hiding. Lived on skyplexes mostly, stealing or pick pocketing to eat. Managed to save up enough to buy passage to the rim, old cargo carrier with a converted section for passengers. Didn't realize the reason it was so cheap was because it was cryo."

River made a face and Jack nodded in agreement, "Wonder if they realized what they did to us would keep us awake in cryo?"

"Not all kinds," River shook her head. "Simon put me in a box, put me to sleep but part of me was awake. Made me even more crazy."

"Yeah, was never so glad to have Sight as I was when I was stuck in that damn tube," Jack nodded. "I could still See. Couldn't move much but my brain worked and I could See. All the passengers, where we were, how we'd all gotten there."

"Handy information to have," River nodded. "Will you tell me what happened?" She tilted her head, a curious smile on her face, "She can tell there is a tale."

"Maybe when Riddick an' Jayne are with us," Jack said slowly. "Ain't somethin' I like thinkin' 'bout overmuch. Lost some decent people on that rock. Some that were tryin' to be decent even if they didn't start out perfect." It was her turn to tilt her head, "So what do you remember about that first year? And what have you been doing since?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So the grand escape wasn't without it's flaws. But Mal and company have been stymied for the moment. Hope you're all enjoying.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)
> 
> Cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài (fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation)
> 
> chòu mǎniào (stinking horse piss)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)
> 
> chī xiàn (crazy/insane)


	11. Eleven

**_Jayne_ **

The moonshine wasn't bad, had a vaguely apple taste to it, and Jayne appreciated the one glass the bartender gave him as he sipped it and tried to figure out exactly how much trouble he was in with Big Daddy and Jinny.

Riddick had taken a good guard position on a crate near the airlock while Jayne had forked over some coin for the drink. Thankfully neither of the girls had come downstairs yet, he wasn't certain if that was a good thing considering all the giggling and confidence exchanging his sisters had done while they'd been in their loft alone.

So when Big Daddy came over and nudged him into joining he and Geoff at their little table Jayne was pretty sure he was going to get a verbal ass kicking if nothing else. "Cobb, we likely to see any more excitement from those folks?"

Jayne sighed and wanted nothing more than River in his lap for a good hug. No matter how tired out, bored or just plain old down he was River could always make him feel more sprightly, "Don't truly know if they'll try to cause us any more trouble." He shook his head over the honest answer, "They're wantin' River back with a powerful will. But apart from some old friends, they don't have a lot of pull. Not even with Browncoats."

"I'd guessed they was Independents," Big Daddy nodded. "Your old captain, he'd be Malcolm Reynolds?"

"Yeah," Jayne sighed again. "Yeah apparently he's pretty well known among the Browncoats for holdin' Serenity Valley past all reason." He shook his head, "Zoe's been with him since the war. She's as loyal as they come and he'd give a mule a run for its money on stubborn."

"And they want your girl back," Geoff spoke for the first time, his quiet voice thoughtful. "Their ship have any ordnance?"

Jayne snorted in amusement in spite of his mood, "They don't have anything that'll explode on board exceptin' some plastic an' grenades. Nothin' they can put on Serenity an' use to take down another ship."

"So when we take off in the morning, they figure out she's here before then, what's the worst they can do," Big Daddy wanted to know.

"Well Mal can be powerful persuasive when he wants," Jayne sipped his moonshine again and set it down. "His pilot is one of the best I've ever seen, and that includes you Geoff. Wash has been flyin' a long time now. He's got tricks within tricks for makin' that old Firefly dance."

"Hoban Washburne?" Geoff's voice squeaked, "That man is a near legend in flight schools."

"Yeah, that's him. Zoe's his wife, that's why he flies Serenity," The big merc explained with a sympathetic quirk of his lips. "You're just as good as he is though, I'd be willing to bet on it, based on how you flew that shuttle. Just less experienced is all."

"So the ship is a bit faster, an' the pilot is just as good," Big Daddy was frowning. "How's the engine run?"

"Kaylee… she's got a gift, just knows by listenin' what's wrong with a machine," Jayne hated to give them bad news but the truth couldn't be helped. "They just talk to her. It's 'cause a her that Serenity runs so well. That ship'll do things for her that it won't for no one else." He sighed, "Ship had some trouble a couple years back, lost a lotta contacts, lotta boltholes, only got a few friends left in the 'Verse now."

"So our best bet is to just keep your girl lyin' low and take off like normal," Big Daddy looked at Jayne. "Jinny an' me said we'd get ya'll to Beylix an' I won't go back on that. Just hopin' we don't have any trouble out in the black."

"If it helps," Riddick's voice was a quiet rumble over Jayne's shoulder, "Jack's got a degree in mechanical engineering. She's a genius with machines, literally." He came to sit down beside Jayne, "I'm pretty good with ordnance, so's Jayne from what River's said."

"I ain't aimin' to shoot anyone out of the sky," Big Daddy objected mildly.

"Nope, wasn't thinkin' that," Riddick shook his head and slanted a grin at Jayne.

Jayne found himself grinning back, "My woman, she's a cortex genius." He explained, "And I know more than most men have forgot about layin' false trails. River knows how to make a…mask she calls it, for a ship, a false id that fools a buzz. An' me an' Kaylee spent a lotta time making crybabies and other things to waylay or fool ships followin' us."

"You're sayin' that between the four of you, you can hide our passage, obscure our identity, increase our speed and plain old fool anyone followin' us?" Geoff was blinking as he looked back and forth between the two men.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm sayin'," Jayne nodded. Riddick's face had a grin that was pure mischief and suddenly Jayne felt a lot better.

"Then let's have a little chat upstairs about what we can do to confound anybody we find too interested in our doings," Big Daddy pushed back from the table and stood.

Riddick looked at Geoff, "That reminds me. Jack and River wanted to talk to you about your leg."

"My leg," Geoff blinked and looked down at the prosthetic. "Right."

Jayne chuckled despite his worry and headed up the stairs. He wasn't really interested in getting drunk so he'd left the glass on the table. He'd barely headed entered the galley when River came out of their room and hurled herself into his arms. "My Jayne," She wasn't quite shivering and she wasn't crying which he was glad of because if there was one thing that made him feel very unmanly it was River tears. But she was a little upset.

"Hey," He couldn't help wrapping his arms around her and turning his head so he could inhale the scent of her hair and skin as he sat down at the table. "Hey ya'll right?"

"She is well, simply was concerned for her Jayne, Mal came very close to shooting you," River whispered into his ear, sending a shudder of heat through him in spite of his attempts to control his thoughts.

"Had Rick guardin' my back," Jayne reminded her. "An' I been shot before. Wearin' that cloth armor we bought ain't I?"

"Yes," River nodded against him and nestled closer in his arms. "Need to feel his heart under her palm again. Calms her mind," She suited action to words, sliding her palm to the center of his chest and taking deep breaths to match his.

"Speakin' a shot," Riddick's voice was coming closer and he sat down just in time for Jack to come out of the room at a slightly slower pace, to be pulled into her partner's lap. The escaped convict barely paused in his sentence at the addition of a slender girl to his lap, "We even got an infirmary on this boat?"

"Not as such," Big Daddy admitted as he took a seat at the table, Geoff beside him. "Ain't had much call for it."

"Right," Riddick looked at Jayne. "Know you're pretty good at stitchin'. River, you're decent at removin' bullets an' the like, how would you do in a place ain't an infirmary?"

"Eyes are not as good as yours in the dark, but better than average," River mumbled into Jayne's shirt. Jayne's hand was busying itself with the end of River's braid, tugging the hair band off of it and unraveling her soft silky hair from its plait.

"I can stitch on somebody in the dark," Jayne said quietly. "Ain't that my eyes are better'n River's, just used to workin' 'thout light."

"My Jayne is very skilled," River boasted in a way that gave him a nice pleasurable little chill down his spine and he slid a hand under her hair to the stiff muscles of her neck, his fingers finding the little knots and rubbing them gently.

"Just learned in the dark's all," He shrugged. "So we have any thoughts on how to avoid Mal an' any a his pals?"

"Figure'd on filing a false chart with the port authority," Big Daddy pointed at River. "Hopin' for your help sneakin' that past the Feds."

Jayne could feel River nod, "False identity for White Lightning, false chart. Next comm buoy we find, input the actual course plotted."

"Sounds fine," Big Daddy grinned. "Like to have anybody with expertise help out where they can while we're in the Black. Miss Jack I hear tell you're quite the engineer. Like you to take a look at our engines before we take off. There's anything we can tweak to get a little more speed and still keep this old bucket easy to run I'd be obliged."

Jayne could see Jack's grin echoed on Riddick's face, "Might wanna take Rick up to the bridge with ya," He told Geoff. "Man's a genius. Bound to know a few tricks."

"Well then let's get to work 'fore the evenin' rush catches us," Big Daddy nodded his satisfaction.

* * *

 

Jayne stretched out as much as he could in his bunk and pushed the pillow under his head. The bed wasn't any larger than the bunk on Serenity so he was used to the slightly awkward position. But this was the first time he'd been in the same room as River when she'd been getting ready for bed. The girls had changed into what they called sleepwear, shorts and tanks similar to River's sparring gear.

Riddick and Jayne had been having a spirited discussion of who would get stuck with the top bunk and it had been on the point of devolving into a rock, paper, scissors contest when River had pushed back the canvas and taken Jayne's hand. Jack had come to stand by Riddick while River had tugged Jayne onto the other side of the canvas wall, "Her partner will sleep beneath her." River had said firmly. "Need my Jayne with me."

Jack on the other side of the canvas had been equally firm with Riddick, "C'mon Riddick, you know you'll feel better if I've got the top bunk."

Jayne had looked down at his slender partner and those gorgeous curves and legs, "You sure you wanna do this River?" He'd touched the soft skin of her jaw, her chin jutting out stubbornly and couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, you got that look says you are."

"Jayne is adept at Reading her," River smiled up at him and had turned to climb up to the top bunk.

Now he listened to her breathe and shook his head as she turned over again. Climbing out of the bed he stood next to the bunks and put his chin on the mattress next to her pillow, "What's wrong River? Missin' _Serenity_?" He asked in a low voice, not wanting to wake up their roommates.

"Just cold my Jayne," River whispered. "Not used to lack of bedding. Must wear more clothing to bed in order to stay warm."

"You trust me River?" Jayne knew this wasn't his brightest idea but the ship was hitting the black at dawn and if Mal made another play she'd need to be awake.

"Always," River nodded immediately.

"Then c'mere," Jayne helped her down and grabbed the blanket and pillow from her bunk, putting them on his before he lay down on his side and tugged her under the blankets with him. Her toes were like little icicles and he hissed as her feet hit his calves. "Gorram woman, your feet're freezin'," He couldn't help but comment as he tucked the double layer of blankets around her, making sure she was snug underneath them and wrapped up in his arms. Her head tucked under his chin like she was meant to be cradled against his chest.

"Jayne is warm," She whispered. "He will not be uncomfortable?"

"Nah," Jayne shook his head and closed his eyes. It crossed his mind that if Mal shot him tomorrow it'd be worth it to hold River like this tonight. She smelled sweet, and felt so good against him, the slender curves of her body pressed against his.

"Jayne?" Her voice was hesitant.

"Yeah _nān nān_ ," He muttered tiredly, one big hand automatically rubbing over her spine, his hand was big enough to cover almost the entire back of her waist.

"Will he always hold her like this?" River's cheek nuzzled against his collarbone, her hands tucked up against his bare chest. He hadn't thought to wear a shirt to bed, only a pair of shorts that would protect the girls' eyes from seeing man parts they weren't interested in.

"Long's you want," Jayne wasn't really thinking of anything other than how good she felt. Other thoughts, if Mal would leave them be, if they could find a ship on Beylix, if Badger would keep his word, were all pushed to the back of his mind. Her hands touching his skin, her legs tangled with his, soft sweet body wrapped in his arms, sensation and desire seemed to push all sense away.

"She wants forever," River's sweet voice mumbled. "My Jayne. Mine."

That was what he wanted too, Jayne thought tiredly. Maybe he'd be good enough for it eventually, but this…this was the closest he'd ever come to happy. Nothing in his experience compared to the feel of River cuddling with him.

* * *

 

**_River_ **

River hadn't ever woken up feeling so safe in her life. Jayne parts surrounded her, his arms wrapped around her upper body, one hand clutching her hip possessively. Her legs were tucked in between his, and sometime in the night she'd gotten snugged near enough that his other hand rested very close to the curves of her breast. Her body was against his, clutched very tightly in his arms and Jayne had rolled at some point so that his huge body was between her and the door.

She was deliciously warm and safe and the feeling emanating from Jayne was like being bathed in sunlight, desire and joy and affection mixed with a strong sense of 'mine'. She let herself simply enjoy it for a while before her brain began to catalog other sensations. It was interesting to feel a man's body against hers when she wasn't fighting or sparring, flattened to the ground.

Jayne's man parts were interested in her, or in morning, she couldn't be certain which, but they were also pressed against her. The fabric of his shorts wasn't much of a deterrent to sensation, and the shorts she wore were thin enough that she might as well be unclothed for all the armor they provided. Experimentally she shifted her hips against him and was rewarded with a surge of sleepy lust from Jayne, a further hardening of his parts, and a burst of very pleasurable sensation from her own nethers.

She caught her breath before she gasped aloud and shivered at the feeling that washed over her. Jayne's hands squeezed a little tighter and he rubbed his cheek over her hair with an unintelligible mumble. That simply ignited more sensations as his body pressed to hers and in his sleep his hips shifted instinctively, rubbing his _jī ba_ against her lady parts. River felt rather than heard the moan in her throat at the sensation and took a deep breath, Jayne's scent, salt and skin in her nostrils. He felt so good, it was hard to stay still when if she moved she knew she'd get another burst of that pleasure.

His hips arched again and River's breath expelled abruptly against his chest as pleasure burst through her. If Jayne's body against hers felt this good when he was asleep, what would it feel like if he was awake? If he kissed her? She was fairly certain that her brain would explode with an overload of sensation. His hips moved one more time and this time she moved back, shivering with the feelings their motions produced. She felt tight and too full for her skin, and Jayne's hands on her seemed twice as large and heated as they had before. She couldn't stop shivering, trembling against him.

She knew the moment he woke up, when his mind left the vaguely pleasurable dreams of her and consciousness intruded. Half awake, her partner's hands rubbed over her body, instinctively trying to soothe what he mistakenly assumed was a chill, "Hmm…River," His voice was low, gruff with sleep and his blue eyes hazy with it as they looked down at her, his words holding a question as to her well-being.

"Jayne," River couldn't do more than breathe his name and felt his _diǎo_ push hard against her at the sound of it, pressing right against her _yīn dì_ until she gasped at the feeling. "Jayne," She squirmed against him and slid her hands up to cup his face in her palms.

He was sleepy, confused still, but his lips quirked up when he saw her face, " _Bǎo bǎo_ ya'll right?"

She loved his eyes, how sleepy they were, but warm and affectionate, reflecting everything she could feel inside him for her. "Very all right My Jayne," She whispered. "Feel very good. Jayne feels good."

"Yeah?" He was too tired to argue, not quite awake and his vague sense of what was appropriate and what wasn't hadn't woken up with the rest of him. "Sure?"

"Hmm…" River moved her hips against him and was rewarded with a gleam of fire in those beautiful blue eyes. His hand tightened on her hip and pulled her body even closer to his, grinding their nethers together until she was breathing hard and he was groaning low in his throat. "Jayne?"

"Yeah _nān nān_ ," He muttered, obviously still trying to wake up and not trying too hard for the delight of sensations swarming over him. The hand that was nearly cupping her breast moved up slightly and his thumb grazed her curves. The feeling was indescribable and River simultaneously tried to press herself closer to his body and arch her breast into his hand.

"Does he like this? With her?" River forced herself to ask the question. If this was just morning games, Jayne's body overwhelming his mind, then she couldn't let it go any further regardless of the affection she knew he had for her.

" _Tā mā de_ love it," He breathed the words out slowly and carefully. "River you feel…" Jayne shook his head as if befuddled and tugged her upwards so her face was level with his. His lips found her cheek, her jaw and her neck, delicately trailing kisses over her skin, careful to not scrape her flesh with the stubble on his cheeks. "You feel too _gāi sǐ_ good," He murmured. "But we're sharin' a room. An' Rick's wakin' up."

River shuddered as her body rubbed over his and his lips seemed to scorch her skin, "Jayne should not be allowed to feel so good." She whispered letting her hands slide up to play with the barely forming curls of his hair. "Never felt so…right as this morning when I woke up."

"Yeah?" Jayne rolled onto his back and smiled up at her. "Ain't ever slept so good neither," He admitted tracing her nose with one thick finger. "Gotta ask you somethin' serious though River."

She nodded as his fingertip traced the outline of her lips, kissing it affectionately. "Ask whatever he wishes."

"Simon put you on any pills or shots?" Jayne asked, his other hand spreading her hair over her back and combing his fingers through it.

"Yes," River nodded. "When the hormone regulator was removed Simon administered a contraceptive. Long term birth control, prevents ovulation for five years. Two more years to go before I must visit a doctor," She sighed. "Would like to have been consulted before such a length of time was decided upon. But she was not coherent on that occasion."

"It ain't so bad," Jayne shook his head and River eyed him curiously. "Means you don't gotta worry 'bout anything for two years at least. Plenty of time to find a good boat and get her fixed up."

River nodded thoughtfully, "The rest of the ship wakes, Riddick is awake, playing with Jack's hair, Jinny is in the galley. We must rise and shine. Be ready if Captain Reynolds returns."

"Oh yeah, that'll be a joy," Jayne groaned under her. "Stay here a minute or two," He rolled so she was under him, a delicious press of his body to hers before he tucked the blankets around her and pushed himself out of bed. River watched curiously as he padded towards the head in the corner and relieved himself before washing his hands and face. He grabbed a pair of her socks out of the duffle bag and brought them over to the bed. "Floor's cold," Was all he said before he began to grab his gear.

River nodded and began to pull on the socks as Jayne unthinkingly stripped off his shorts and pulled on a clean pair before yanking on cargo pants. He didn't seem to remember that she hadn't exactly seen his entire body before until he looked up and met her gaze. She was sure that she was blushing but she also couldn't seem to make herself look away. Her partner was truly a magnificent specimen, well endowed, muscular and tall, towering over her by nearly a foot and every inch of him carved in exquisite flesh, dark hair sprinkled over his chest and leading down to his groin. Her lips parted in awe as Jayne looked at her, his pants still half unbuttoned and his shirt clutched in his fist. "Uh, sorry?" He offered, obviously not sure what he could say.

River shook her head, "Enjoyed the view. Glad he was comfortable enough with her here..." She blinked a little, even her brain was having trouble cataloging everything that she found appealing about Jayne. Finally she tilted her head and let the smile she felt curve her lips, "Jayne should feel free to do this often. Especially when she is more awake and can fully appreciate the view."

His grin was wicked and did lovely dark things to her insides, sending heat between her thighs, "Yeah?" He moved over to the bed and sat next to her, his knuckles sliding over the skin of her upper arm, "You gonna…reciprocate?"

"He wishes her to do so?" River blinked not sure if she was confident enough to strip for him. She frowned looking down at her not very ample breasts.

"Truth?" Jayne's grin was teasing and apprehensive both, "Not sure I could take it without pinnin' ya to the bed. Maybe wait on that 'til we get somewhere's we ain't sharin' a bunk."

"That's appreciated," Riddick's dark dry voice spoke from the other side of the canvas.

"Shut it Rick, can't say you wouldn't be doin' the same thing iffen Jack's growth spurt was done," Jayne retorted. He pressed a kiss to River's forehead, "Ignore him _nān nān_ , I know I'm gonna."

River scooted closer to Jayne and put her hands on his shoulders, "Finds herself impatient." She admitted softly, loving how his skin felt beneath her palms. "Waited and waited for him to see her. And then Captain and Simon got in the way. Not the most patient woman in the 'verse."

"I know," Jayne's blue eyes were twinkling wickedly. "I'm kinda countin' on that River." He tugged on long dark lock of her hair, "Now get dressed before I decide I don't care 'bout sharin' a bunk." He pulled his shirt on over his head and kissed her forehead again before he finished buttoning up his pants and began to weapon up. In less than five minutes he'd left the room and Jack was shuffling over to River's side of the canvas.

River studied her old friend and tilted her head, "Slept in her partners arms again, slept well?"

Jack nodded, still sleepy eyed as she pulled out her clothes. River noticed she still had the tendency to limp in the morning, they'd have to begin exercising and sparring to strengthen the muscles and get Jack out of that habit. The Clairvoyant eyed River thoughtfully as River began to pull out her pants and shirt along with her underthings, "So you ended up sleeping with Jayne."

"Only sleeping, just like Jack and Rick," River shrugged. "Jayne heard me shivering, didn't want me to be cold. Kept me warm."

"That all?" Jack's eyes were shrewd even as she used the head and cleaned up after. "Even Riddick has parts of him wake up before others. Generally I'm still asleep when he wakes up but Seein' tends to make me aware anyway."

"Jack knows what happened," River said primly taking her turn at the head. "Does not require my verbal confirmation." She dug out the brush she'd purchased and handed the other set to Jack, "Purchased along with gowns. Jayne says girls need pretties."

Jack blinked as she opened the box and saw a brush, comb and hand mirror, "River, you didn't have to."

"Jack is...invaluable," River shook her head. "Words cannot express how pleased I was to find you. How happy I am that you escaped, that you are well. Hair will grow along with everything else, gained an inch already. In six months, will be very long, reaching mid shoulder blades perhaps." She took a deep breath, she'd adored Kaylee, the sweet cheer of Serenity's mechanic had been wonderful but Kaylee hadn't been in the Academy. Kaylee didn't know without a word that blue paint was painful to the eyes. She didn't understand that there were times when everything was so loud and vivid and sharp that even a too bright smile felt like a fist to River's belly. She hadn't ever been tortured, hadn't ever been raped or beaten.

Jack nodded as she Saw all of River's memories, Saw why the Reader was so grateful to have her, "It's hard for you to talk about. Literally, your words don't work sometimes," She realized.

"When they stripped my amygdale, when they drove me mad," River sighed. "If feels as if I am...damaged. What they did to us Jack... I don't know if I'll ever be normal. And when I was on Serenity every day I was sane was a balancing act of being what they expected and being what I am. Jayne was the only one who never acted as if my skill sets were troubling. It took time for them to not be afraid of me. Jayne... when he was afraid it was because I was crazy. Not because I was an assassin."

"Maybe if I'd Seen what you did, what you Read, I woulda gone nuts too," Jack said slowly as she pulled on her clothes. "I don't know how you're as sane as you are River."

"Probably wouldn't be if it weren't for Jayne," River shrugged. "Let me hide and get away from the drugs. Let me just be. Invaluable ally."

"Yeah he would be," Jack grinned. "He don't seem too put off by my past either."

"Jayne was a merc for years," River lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug as she laced up her boots. "Feels he has no right to judge you for thieving, not when we did much worse on Serenity, and Jayne feels he has done worse personally."

"Speakin' a worse," Riddick's voice came from the other side of the canvas. "I'm gettin' the impression there's a whole lot you're not tellin' me 'bout the Academy Jack."

River glanced at her friend to be sure she was decent before she tugged the canvas back a bit to reveal Riddick sitting on the lower bed buckling his boots on. "Not the right time or place for full disclosure," She said quietly. "Therapy has helped, time also helps. Riddick has endured tortures of a similar type. Will he tell them about it?"

Jack stood and wrapped her arms around River's waist, resting her chin on the shorter girl's shoulder before she spoke, "Rick it ain't like you didn't know I was fucked up. The screamin' nightmares were a big clue right?"

"Yeah just..." Riddick shrugged and River smiled slightly.

"Wishes to go out and kill those who hurt us, jealous that Jayne was allowed to torture the orderly who fondled and abused," She kissed Jack's cheek. "We must stretch and exercise before we may eat." She reminded her friend. "Jayne does this now. Riddick should come also."

"Sure its a good idea to be down in the bay before we take off?" Riddick asked with a frown as he pulled his goggles down and River opened the door.

"Risk is negligible," River shook her head. "Badger has laid a false trail, very convincing, Mal follows it to Blue Sun system."

"Good," Riddick nodded. "Guessin' our troubles are fewer then."

"Somewhat," River agreed dryly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So it looks like they're going to get off Persephone without any more trouble. Of course, that doesn't mean everything's going to be sunshine and roses.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> nān nān (little darling/baby)
> 
> jī ba (dick/penis)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> Bǎo bǎo (darling/baby)
> 
> Tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)


	12. Twelve

_**Riddick** _

Riddick looked at Cobb thoughtfully as the man steadily worked his way through the weight resistance exercises they'd figured out their second full day aboard White Lightning. It had been a solid three weeks of travel, every few days stopping on a moon or a planet, sometimes a skyplex and Big Daddy would throw open the doors and everybody would belly up to the bar. The cargo they'd picked up and dropped off had been a combination of legal and smuggled which had been a bit of fun for he and Jayne. In that time Cobb had been quiet, his entire being revolving around one slender woman, but he'd been mostly silent about it.

"You think if we do this enough we'll forget we're sleepin' with women we can't sex just yet?" Riddick asked his newest friend as he began his latest round of pull ups on the exposed piping in the bay.

"Dunno," Jayne was doing pushups at an impressive pace, hard enough that his hands left the ground and clapped before slamming back to the decking to lower himself deliberately. "But I'mma have a word with Big Daddy about a set of weights or somethin'. Else I'm gonna try to take you on. Least if we pound on each other, might hurt enough I don't think about…that."

"At least your woman is old enough," Riddick growled. Jack was still sprouting, she looked closer to seventeen than sixteen now but she smelt of impatience and discomfort, and he could tell she was twitchy in her skin. River had explained that Jack had more growing to do than she'd had back when her own regulator was removed so it was more uncomfortable for her. She'd offered massages, meditation and lessons in kung fu to help Jack deal with the discomfort. Jack had taken River up on all of it and it was helping but nothing could impede the aching of flesh that wanted and wasn't ready to have.

He was getting frustrated as hell and seriously thinking about finding a whore the next time they hit dirt, if only so he wasn't bothering Jack with his wants. River walked into the cargo bay and stood below him, "Rick. Come down so she can speak without shouting."

Riddick did one more pull up just so she didn't think she was the boss of him like she was of Jayne and dropped to the bay floor. She nodded her appreciation of his light landing and folded her arms, "Seeking out whores will hurt Jack." She told him flatly. "She saw you were considering it. Asked me what she'd done wrong. Tried to explain you don't wish to hurt her."

Jayne snorted and changed from push ups to sit ups, "Even I know if you're courtin' a girl ya don't get rid a your urges for her by goin' to a whore. Just buys ya trouble. Your girl thinks you'll never be happy with her, you end up paying for what you don't really want and you're miserable along with it and so's she."

"Is that why Jayne has not…" River slanted her dark eyes towards her partner and Riddick folded his arms.

"Yeah, that's why," Jayne somehow managed to shrug as he was doing his sit ups. Riddick found it amazing the wealth of wordless conversation the man possessed. He could say more with a grunt, a shrug or a roll of his eyes then most men could with five hundred words. "Ever since you told me you didn't mind what I was thinkin'. Why'd you think I had so much coin saved?"

"Couldn't be certain," River gave a one shouldered shrug of her own. "Jayne never gave his reasons and she did not wish to intrude." She turned back to Riddick, "By the time we reach Beylix, Jack will be done with the painful portion of the growing. Please don't do what you're considering, even if you mean it well. You'll be angry with yourself and you won't be satisfied anyway."

Jayne chuckled, "That's for damn sure." He was still doing his sit ups and not even breathing hard, "Nothin' quite like goin' to a bawdy house an' findin' nothin' to tempt ya."

Riddick found himself surprised, "Not at all? I mean, even to scratch the itch? Nothin'?"

Jayne shook his head and stood jumping lightly for such a large man and grabbing onto the pipes Riddick had been using before River demanded a conversation, "Nope. Went in, had a drink, realized anytime my eyes wandered they were on a little thing weren't nearly as pretty or graceful as River or I was thinkin' 'bout the door. Ev'ry woman I saw, just compared 'em to her, an' they's all comin' up short." He huffed out a laugh as he pulled himself steadily up and down, "If I wanted to just scratch an itch I had two hands. Didn't need to pay money for a woman I didn't really want."

Riddick shook his head, amazed, "So you've been what doin' without?"

"How long has it been since Rick put a hand to himself," River asked quietly. "Since he found Jack and rejoined the human race?" She tilted her head, "Since he realized he wanted Jack to be old enough." Her lips curved in a tiny smile, "When he was told she was old enough and he only had to wait until she was grown."

"That is not something needs to be known," Riddick rolled his eyes and began to do pushups. "It wasn't a serious thought. I wondered if it would help is all."

"Now you know that it won't," River shrugged. "Should talk to Jack."

"About what?" Riddick scowled down at the deck, "The fact that I'm more than half animal and I feel like if I don't have her soon I'll go crazy?"

"Among other things, yes," River nodded and walked away. Pausing for a moment she turned and looked back at them, "Please do not contemplate a change in sleeping arrangements. The warmth and affection given to she and Jack by our partners is instrumental in maintaining emotional well-being."

Jayne dropped down from the pipes and walked over to River, "I don't think your emotional well bein' is gonna be too solid if I lose control one a these mornin's or nights River." He told her as he grabbed a towel and dried off. "Was thinkin' if we weren't sleeping at the same time it might help."

"If Jayne no longer wishes to sleep with me then I, of course, acquiesce to his request," River nodded. "I do not wish Jayne to experience discomfort."

"That ain't it at all," Riddick watched out of the corner of his eye as the big man shook his head. "Just...hard to keep control a m'self is all."

"Does very well with control," River told him calmly. "Still hasn't kissed her. Control is perfected." She gave him a sweetly cool smile and turned on her heel before walking calmly out of the cargo bay.

"Shit," Jayne pushed a hand through his sweaty hair and shook his head. "She is truly pissed at me 'bout that little idea."

"I got the feeling Jack's none too pleased with me about considering a whore," Riddick didn't stop the pushups as he spoke, wanting, needing the exercise. "You know what a perv I felt like when I thought she was fourteen?" He growled as he pushed himself up harder. "All I could do was I hope I wasn't too old for her in four years."

"Hey you were willin' to wait," Jayne pointed out as he began to move around their area of the bay, putting tables and chairs back the way they'd been before the exercise regime had begun. "You ain't an animal, no matter what you keep callin' yourself."

"So what's your excuse?" Riddick wanted to know. He pushed himself up into a standing position and began to help the taller man get the bay back in order. "Your woman is old enough, time wise and physically, why don't you take her to bed?"

Jayne rolled his eyes, "I got this weird idea that her first time shouldn't be in a bunk with her best friend and another fella."

"Well there's that," Riddick chuckled. "Three more weeks to Beylix though. An' I hate to say it but River's right... irritating as hell but I gotta talk to Jack about this."

"Well tell you what, I'll get my woman and convince her to spend some time with me. You take the bunk, talk to yours," Jayne gave him a half smile. Riddick was a little surprised by the offer. Cobb hadn't struck him as particularly sensitive to the social norms like privacy, at least until he'd made that crack about not sexin' River while Riddick and Jack were in the room. "River might Read it but leastways you an' Jack'll be able to pretend we don't know what you're talking about."

"Thanks," Riddick thought for a moment. "By the way, I don't think River's pissed about you considerin' not sharing a bed." He offered by way of repayment for the gesture. When Jayne tilted his head in invitation Riddick continued, "She seemed more pissed off about you not kissing her."

"I kiss her," Jayne protested. "Can't keep my mouth off her skin, she's so _gāi sǐ_ …soft."

"Ever kiss her on the mouth?" Riddick was rewarded with a slow blink of comprehension from Jayne, "Yeah man, that's why she's pissed. You're enough like me, you don't kiss whores on the mouth, don't kiss women on either lips period. I might be an idiot about relationships but I can smell well enough to know that your little woman is deeply pissed that you're acting like she's a whore."

"That ain't what I think," Jayne's voice rose, he smelt like confused anger and worry, a strange combination of oak leaves and beer. Riddick shrugged at him.

"Then you'd better talk to her. I'mma find Jack and take that time," He took the stairs at a run and reached their room pretty quick. Jack was sitting with River brushing her hair, and he could smell that both girls were upset, cherries and cinnamon and pecans and cherry blossom as doubt and anger mixed. Riddick took a deep breath and leaned against the doorway, just watching for a moment. He'd gotten incredibly lucky that Jayne and River didn't have scents that irritated him, both of them smelt pretty good, their personal scent notes not clashing with Jack's or each other's. Maybe that was part of why they got along all of them, they blended well together for all that they were different. "Jack, like to talk to you," He said finally. "River, I know Jayne wants a word or three with you."

"And if we don't want to speak to you?" River's voice was cool and she was frowning, but her hands were still very gentle with Jack's chin length hair.

"Tough," Riddick growled. "I need words with my woman," He was aware of a surge of brown sugar and vanilla from Jack, so she was curious, but he'd never been sure of what brown sugar meant, only that he smelt it on her often enough that he knew he loved it.

"It's all right River," Jack smiled at her friend and River rose from the bed and rather stiffly left the room. Riddick spared a sympathetic thought for Jayne. The man had his work cut out for him with that one. But that didn't stop him from shutting the door behind him.

"I think," Riddick took River's spot on the bed behind Jack but didn't pick up the brush or comb. Instead he leaned back against the wall and pulled her into his arms. "I think that you've got the wrong idea about a few things."

"The wrong idea," Jack wasn't thrilled with him yet, the cherries were still there and he never thought he'd hate cherry blossom but that was her doubting him and he couldn't stand that. "About what?"

"About how much I want you, need you," Riddick told her simply. There was that burst of chocolate and brown sugar and something like maple syrup along with it. "Told you I wasn't letting you leave me Jack, just didn't say how...impatient I am for you to be grown."

"I Saw that you were thinking about finding a whore," Jack said quietly. "You don't want to wait for me."

"Jack, when I thought you were fourteen I figured I'd be waiting four years," Riddick sighed. Women were a mystery to him more than half the time. This little woman was a million times more important but still something of a mystery. "I figured on visitin' more'n a few whorehouses while you grew up. I was still thinkin' on that option because as I understand it, you're pretty uncomfortable these days an' havin' me... well, having a _pì yǎnr_ like me practically humping you in the morning couldn't be anythin' you'd want."

The notes of cherries in her scent grew stronger and her hard little fist pounded on his shoulder, " _Jī dū_ you are such an idiot!" Jack hit him again and shuddered when he caught her fist in his hand before she could try it a third time or go for a target more sensitive than his shoulder. "I'm frustrated you moron! I want you. Physically I'm about seventeen, by the time we're off the boat I'll be almost eighteen... then it's a full year before I get to my actual age but the hard part, the adolescent part is just about over. Do you have any idea how irritating this is?"

"Some," Riddick frowned at her. "Thought everything sorta hurt," He asked and wondered why in the gorram hell he was worried about that? When a woman said she wanted him, typically he responded one of two ways, he fucked her or he wasn't interested, and the second rarely happened. Jack said she wanted him and now he was worried it would hurt her? What the hell was wrong with him?"

"As it's been explained to me most of the discomfort comes from hypersensitivity," Jack told him dryly. "So frustrating as humping me in the morning is for you, it's five times as bad for me. I don't have an erection that will just go away in a few minutes. Frustration lasts for hours. And I know that if I put hands on my body that you'd be able to smell what I was doing. And that thought just freezes my blood."

"Why?" Riddick felt more than half of the blood in his body rush to his _diǎo_ at her words. "That's natural for a woman, or a man for that matter."

"Because I wasn't even sure if that's what you wanted from me Riddick," Jack was ready to hit him again in her frustration; he could see her little fist balling up. "Since we left Serenity you ain't said anything 'bout what you wanted. You hold me at night but you always have. I didn't know what you wanted. You haven't even..."

"I ain't even kissed you," Riddick finished the thought she'd found to embarrassing to complete from the whiffs of almonds he was getting. "It's not that I haven't thought about it Jack. Just..."

"What? You want to make sure I'll be pretty enough for you when I'm grown finally?" Jack's voice was darkly sarcastic and he shook his head.

"That ain't it," Riddick sighed. "You're my woman Jack, for all that you ain't totally grown yet. Have you ever...I mean anything? At all besides what them _hún dàns_ did to you?"

"Riddick I've never even been kissed," Jack's scent bore out the truth of her embarrassment, almonds teasing his nostrils along with cherries and tea. Angry, embarrassed and confused along with maple syrup and brown sugar. The last two notes were driving him crazy for the meaning but he couldn't figure it.

"I wondered," He was really getting aroused just thinking about the possibilities with her. "And you want me to kiss you? You're sure about that Jack?"

"Yes," She sounded exasperated. "I want to do more than kiss you Riddick. I don't have a narcotic compound on my-"

Riddick didn't care about a narcotic compound at that point. His woman was demanding his attention, her animal insistent and he grabbed her shoulders and held her in place before he pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips were still closed, shock keeping her still and he just kept her his lips pressed against hers until he couldn't take it anymore, the fire that just seemed to consume him at her touch, and he moved his mouth on her lips.

He coaxed, teased and nibbled at that sweet mouth until her surprise faded and she made this sweet mewling noise against his him, sound parting her lips under his so he could continue his seduction of her mouth. She tasted good, so good, he wanted more, needed to taste more and before the thought had been completed his tongue swept forward, seeking hers. Her entire body seemed to shiver convulsively in his arms and then, God! Jack's little kitten tongue slid boldly against his, rubbed over his and touched his lips until he was turning her and pressing her back on the bed, covering her body with his.

As embraces went, it was fairly innocent, legs length to length pressed together, both of them fully clothed and his hands under her back while hers clung to his shoulders. But to feel her under him, bodies pressed together, to hear her little moans and mewling sounds as he kissed her, finally kissed her...his _gāi sǐ_ prick was trying to push through his pants and hers to her pussy and he was practically humping the girl he was so ready to fuck her.

But she felt so _tā mā de_ right under him, her curvy little body pressing up to him in all the right places, soft breasts and sweet hips and he was possessed with the urge to turn her over and rub his cock on her ass and kiss up and down her spine. He wanted skin and his mouth on every inch of her flesh and still kissing her felt too good to be real. He paused and began to move back a bit when her hands tightened fiercely on his shoulders and she pulled him back down.

"No, Riddick don't stop, please don't stop," She moaned into his mouth. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't stop please."

That was all sortsa tempting given his most recent thoughts, Riddick groaned and slid his tongue over hers one last time before he pulled away and began to rub his mouth over the tender skin on her jaw and down her neck, "What do you want _xiǎo māo_?"

"You," Her whisper was low, throaty and played over his skin like a cool breeze on a hot day, every cell seemed sensitive to it. "I want you Riddick. I don't care about anything else, I just need...your hands on me, I need to touch you before I go crazy."

"Ain't sure I can take much 'thout losin' control Jack," Riddick warned her. "Don't wanna hurt you."

"Are you going to fuck me before I'm ready?" Jack regarded him with a thoughtful frown. The scent of brown sugar and maple syrup was almost overwhelming and he just wanted to see what she'd taste like.

"No, I-" Riddick took a deep breath and kissed her again, hard on the mouth, before he drew back again and told her. "I want to taste you. I want you to taste me. But 'til you're done growin'...know that I can't..."

"Can you..." She hesitated and he hated the scent of cherry blossoms all over again.

"What?" He kissed her again, coaxing this time, loving how she responded, slow at first and then like a flash of heat devouring his mouth, as if she wanted the taste of him as much as he did her. "What do you want me to do my _qīn 'ài_?" He kissed her again, teasing her this time, his body holding hers down as she strained up to him for more of the kiss. "Can I...what?"

"Can you let me touch you...make you fall...without fucking me?" Jack asked still straining for more of his kiss.

"If that's what you want," Riddick knew he'd probably explode the minute she touched him. "More interested in if you'll let me bring you to your fall _xiǎo māo_." He was kissing her neck again, finding the buttons on her shirt and slipping them through their holes one by one until he could see the skin of her cleavage, breathed in the thicker scent of her body from beneath her clothing. He brushed his lips over her collarbone, over the soft swells exposed by the stretchy exercise bra River had found for her. "Love how you taste Jack."

"How do I taste?" She whispered curiosity blooming vanilla into her scent.

"Sweet," Riddick murmured over the little valley of her breasts, sliding his tongue down it and feeling her shiver. "Hot and sweet, so good Jack," He lifted his head and kissed her hard on the lips. "Wanna watch you fall Jack, my _qīn 'ài_." She blushed tea, almonds, brown sugar and maple syrup in her scent, and he couldn't help kissing her again.

"I just want," Jack sounded so bewildered, aroused and so sweet. "Riddick, please," She whispered, her voice like silk touching his skin.

"C'mere," Riddick tugged her shirt out of her pants and dropped his hand to her zipper, lowering it and sliding his hand inside, cupping her through her panties. "So warm Jack," He muttered against her skin. "Now you, put your fingers inside," He felt her tight grip on one of his shoulders loosen and her hand followed his, slipping inside her panties. "You're wet Jack, I can feel how wet you are, right through the cotton," It was a groan more than words. "You know where to touch _xiǎo māo_ ," He kissed her again before he started trailing his lips over those curves above the tight stretchy fabric of her bra. He felt her fingers slowly start to rub and caress her _yīn dì_ and the resulting shudder. "Beautiful," He muttered as she shivered again. Looking down at her beneath him still, he could see her nipples pushing against the bra, tight little buds, her breasts swollen with need.

Brown sugar was taking over her scent, silk and chocolate and faintly the scent of cherries as she moaned in frustration, "Please, Riddick." She shuddered. "It's not enough."

He groaned in sympathy, he knew damn well that his own hand wouldn't feel nearly as good as hers, "All right." Riddick took a deep breath and slid his hand next to her skin, touching her slender fingers and nudging them out of the way until he had found her clit and surrounded it with his fingertips. God she was hot, she'd burn him she was so hot on his skin, but the long low moan of delight that reached his ears would be worth going up in flames. Being with Jack would be worth incineration.

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

Jack hadn't known just how good it would feel to be kissed. She wondered if it was because it was Riddick kissing her or if anyone's kiss would be like this. But she hadn't wanted just anyone to kiss her, she only wanted Riddick's mouth on hers. So really, that didn't matter. All that mattered was the Riddick did want her, would kiss her and oh god kissing felt so much...more when Riddick was on top of her, pressing her into the bunk.

She wasn't sure what the rules were for this sort of thing, if this meant her morals were loose or if she was just a sucker for this particular man but she really couldn't find it in her to tell him to stop. He was calling her his darling, kitten and dear and he was so gentle with her sensitive body. But, " _Tā mā de dì yù_ ," She gasped as his fingers slid between her _yīn chún_ , his fingertips stroking her clit, it felt as if flames were licking over her body and any words she had left became a strangled moan.

"Look at me Jack," That delicious low voice seemed to brush over every nerve ending and she opened her eyes, hadn't realized she'd closed them, to see Riddick's silver gaze staring down at her face, rapt with attention to what she was feeling. "Is it good? Am I too rough for you _xiǎo māo_?"

"Sooo good...please don't stop, Riddick, please," Jack shook her head, her free hand fumbling for his waistband only to have him shake his head.

"Give me your fingers," He bent and kissed her neck, "Let me taste your juice, slick and sweet on those little fingers of yours." Her hands were shaking, sensations overwhelming her as she brought her hand up and his nostrils flared as he inhaled her scent, " _Cào dàn_ yes." He growled and nipped at her fingers until she brought them closer. Then his lips surrounded her skin, his tongue laving off every bit of her moisture, groaning and growling his pleasure.

Jack moaned as his hand drove her relentlessly further into burning pleasure, his mouth and tongue on her fingers just made her think of his lips on other parts of her body. "Riddick, I... I'm..." She couldn't take anymore, it was a never ending flame licking over her skin, penetrating to her bones, racking her body until she couldn't take anymore.

"That's it Jack, that's my girl," Riddick's voice washed over her, only increasing the heat, his mouth coming down on hers just as a scream ripped from her throat. It was worse than fire, worse than any pain because she couldn't stand it and she never wanted it to end and then it increased, exponentially and immediately, an explosion deep in her belly, rolling outward to every extremity until she was screaming into Riddick's mouth with the pleasure of it.

His hands gentled on her body, soothing the tremors, and his mouth pressed tender little nipping kisses to hers, "Riddick, Riddick," She moaned pulling him down to her body again. "God," She couldn't stop panting, her heart was still racing from everything he'd made her feel. He was kissing her, sips on her mouth and jaw, sweet and careful but she could feel his _diǎo_ hard and ready against her thigh. "Hmm... what about you?" Her hand slid down to tug at his zipper and waistband. "Riddick, let me make you fall," She pressed her mouth to his.

He groaned as her hand pushed past his pants and shorts, wrapping around his cock, "God _xiǎo māo_ way you feel, it won't take long." Riddick's flesh was thick and hard in her hands, strange that his body could feel so hard and the skin that surrounded it so soft.

"Tell me what to do," Jack whispered. "What do you like Riddick?" She kissed him, let her mouth rub over his jaw, nipped at his neck over his jugular and felt the tremor go through him.

"Harder," He growled the words out. "Wrap those soft little fingers tight 'round my _jī ba_ and give me a coupla good hard tugs." Riddick's groan as she did what he asked was one of the most erotic things she'd ever heard. He was panting like he never had on that planet, his heart pounding so hard she could feel it against her chest, gasping into her mouth as she kissed him.

His hips twitched, wanting to move, wanting to take over and Jack quickened her strokes, "I want to taste you Riddick." She confessed, "When you fall, I want your _jīng yè_ on my hand so I can lick my fingers like you did to me." The guttural moan of need and almost imperceptible twitching of his cock in her hands gave her the hints that his fall would come soon. "You'll let me, won't you Riddick? You'll let me taste you the way you did me..."

Her partner, her big, intimidating, escaped convict of a man, one of the most frightening men in the 'verse, shuddered and groaned long and loud as his seed erupted from his body. He was panting, his chest working like a bellows as he gasped over her. Jack smiled, knew it was a smug expression, and didn't care. She lifted her fingers to her mouth and licked, tasting him, salt, like the sea air on Beaumonde and something that was just indefinably Riddick. "Hmm..." She smiled and licked her fingers clean. "My partner tastes good."

Her partner just groaned and began kissing her again, "Wicked, beautiful, perfect woman." He told her between kisses. "Mine." Riddick felt so right against her, his mouth devouring hers, his hands firm and perfectly possessive on her body. "God Jack, _yì zhōng rén_ , mine."

"Yeah," Jack ran a hand over his scalp, touching his neck and face, "Yeah Riddick, I am." He was so beautiful to her, like the pictures she'd seen of animals on Earth That Was, huge panthers with glowing eyes, jaguars finding their prey and the tigers that could be so still in the grass that you couldn't even see them until they sprang. "I'm all yours...just..."

"What?" That gorgeous voice like coffee and whiskey, deep and rich and his eyes, glowed silver blue down at her. She wondered if she was the only one to see this side of him, the tenderness in his voice, how gentle his expression was, had he ever been like this with anyone else. " _Xiǎo māo_ , Jack what?"

"I'm...not...used to this," Jack found herself whispering. "God Riddick, just say that you're mine too, all right?" She felt like she couldn't take a deep breath, "Are you ever like this with anyone else? Like you are with me?" It was the hormones, the growth spurt, she knew it must be but she felt like she was on the verge of tears just from asking the question, the fear that he'd say this wasn't anything new to him, or different, that this wasn't special to him like it was to her.

She watched him, inhaling, her scent filling his nostrils and his eyes darkening with whatever he found there, "Told River once, she could own Cobb. An' she didn't get it, didn't understand he was already hers. He was free but he belonged to her. Told her Cobb was just like me, 'cause I was already yours, you owned me. You have since that planet." His hand found her face, cupped her cheek in his, "I don't do...leashes or cages _xiǎo māo_ , but you... you don't need any a that. Because we belong together. You're my woman. Told you I wouldn't let you go. Can't. 'Cause I... 'cause you're it. You own me Jack. I am yours."

The tears started down her face and she was amused to see a moment of pure panic in his expression before he began to kiss them away, "It's all right Riddick." She sniffed. "I've just...never had anyone say anything like that to me. Needed to hear it. That this is new. That we're different. That I'm not just...some piece of trim that you happen to kinda like."

That pissed him off, she could read it in the lines of his body and the narrowing of his beautiful eyes, "If you were just trim to me Jack, I wouldn't have waited more'n six months. If you weren't... if you weren't Jack to me, if you were just some stupid girl, woulda dropped your ass for the Feds three months back. You ain't trim an' I don't just 'kinda like' you _yì zhōng rén_. Think the animal could go more'n six months 'thout a fuck if you didn't have me wrapped 'round your pretty hands? Think I could just wait an' keep waiting for what I thought'd be four years for a chance with you? Huh Jack?"

It was her turn to soothe him, to touch his cheek and kiss his chin and nose and forehead, "You don't tell me these things Riddick. So how would I know? Knew you liked me. But I See things, I don't Read thoughts and feelings. I couldn't know what you thought of me. I don't expect 'I love you' from you Riddick. Would I like to hear it someday? Yeah." She smiled up at him, "But long's you tell me that I'm yours, an' you're mine. That's enough."

For some reason that didn't work, Riddick seemed even more pissed, his mouth hard on hers, kissing her like he was trying to make a point, "You know how long it's been since I kissed anyone?" He asked when he drew back to stare down at her. Jack shook her head in confusion, "Never Jack. You're the first woman I've ever kissed. So I'm breakin' every rule for you already." She almost smiled when he scowled down at her, "And I have told you. I told you a coupla times right just now," He nearly snarled the words.

"Riddick," Jack sighed, "My _yìng hàn_ , you've befuddled me with an orgasm, which is completely new, you've been saying things that are sweet and kissing me...is it any wonder my brain isn't working? Please... my _shuài gē_."

His face relaxed some, a slight smile quirking at the lips that had driven her insane, "Called you my _qīn 'ài_." Riddick reminded her, "And I called you _yì zhōng rén_.

"Okay, Riddick," Jack nuzzled his neck and nipped at his skin, "Those mean dear an' darlin' and sweetheart." She reminded him, "Now I get if you don't ever call women that it's an indicator for you. But I don't know that. You're it for me. I love you Riddick. I've loved you since... well...love at first sight sounds stupid but maybe I'm not the genius the Academy thought I was to fall in love with a murderer before I ever even met you. But I had a lotta time in cryo to See. And everything I saw... just made me love you and want you." She sighed, "Of course you thought I was about fourteen with a crush on the bad man but..."

"You love me," Riddick sounded awed. "Jack you've already got me, you don't gotta-"

"I know I don't gotta," Jack smiled slightly. "But I'm asking you to be honest with me, so it's only fair that I tell you."

"Jack," Riddick had never looked like that in the time she'd known him, nor in all the parts of his past that she'd Seen. He looked amazed and worried and happy all at once. "Jack, the things I said to you...they mean more than dear and darling and sweetheart. Ain't always used like that but there's a reason most folks say _bǎo bǎo_ or _liàn rén_ or _bǎo bèi_." His lips brushed over hers, exquisitely gentle, "I call you my _qīn 'ài_ because it also means beloved. Jack, I call you _yì zhōng rén_ because you are. You are my true love, the person of my thoughts." He frowned down at her, "So you get it now? When I say those things? Trying to tell you the truth. My truth of what you are to me."

Jack nodded her understanding and wondered how it was possible to be so happy and at the same time so impatient for more. She could feel his body against hers, ready for her, and she was ready to squirm in frustration with how good he felt. Before she could say anything else there was a loud knock at the door and Riddick groaned.

"It's Cobb," He told her with a resigned grimace. "He gave us more'n an hour in here alone to talk or whatever. Guess he or River want their turn or they figure I've been alone with you long enough." He looked at her thoughtfully, "Jack, if we...I mean, had we..." He sat up and began to button her shirt again, letting her stand up and tuck it in before he grabbed her hips and pressed his forehead to her belly. "How easy would it be for me to get you pregnant during this growth spurt?"

"Dunno," Jack let her hands slide over his scalp. "Not sure I wanna have kids yet. So I guess we need to see a doc before we...get that far."

"Yeah," He sighed and inhaled deeply, before he moved towards the head in the corner and cleaned himself up. Jack tucked in her shirt before Riddick moved to answer the door, Jayne's huge form standing in it. "Cobb," Riddick greeted him. "How'd your talk go?"

"Ain't had it yet," Jayne shook his head. "River don't wanna talk right now. And I'm not gonna press her. Told her we needed to talk before Beylix. She'll come to me when she's ready."

Jack tilted her head, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She knew her old friend well enough to remember the walls River could put up if she thought she'd get hurt. Jayne looked honestly miserable at the thought of River being mad at him.

"No," Jayne's words were blunt. "But I know better than to push. She knows how I feel, knows better'n anyone what she is to me. I ain't givin' up sleepin' with her but if she don't wanna talk... well, guess I wait. Ain't like I haven't been waitin' two years."

Jack sighed, "Seems like that'd be long enough." Riddick's hand touched her neck gently and she gave him a smile. "C'mon, maybe Jinny'll give us a few more cooking lessons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So Riddick and Jack have gotten their little miscommunication figured out. Now Jayne and River… might take a little time. With feelings in the mix it's way to easy to misinterpret something. Even if you are a genius.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)
> 
> pì yǎnr (bastard / slob / asshole)
> 
> Jī dū (Christ)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> hún dàns (bastards)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> xiǎo māo (kitten)
> 
> qīn 'ài (dear/beloved/darling)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> Tā mā de dì yù (fucking hell)
> 
> yīn chún (labia)
> 
> Cào dàn (fuck)
> 
> jī ba (dick/penis)
> 
> jīng yè (semen)
> 
> yì zhōng rén (sweetheart / one's true love / the person of one's thoughts)
> 
> yìng hàn (man of steel/tough guy)
> 
> shuài gē (handsome man/ladykiller)
> 
> bǎo bǎo (darling/baby)
> 
> liàn rén (lover/sweetheart)
> 
> bǎo bèi (honey/darling)


	13. Thirteen

_**Jayne** _

They were only a week out from Beylix and apart from discussing what sort of boat they'd like, sparring and exercise River had been avoiding any time alone with him. She still slept in his arms, boneless and trusting in sleep but awake... she was angry and hurt and he'd had enough of that. "River, c'mon," Jayne took her by the hand and tugged her into their bunk. "Riddick an' Jack cleared out...said we'd have at least an hour alone."

"But Jayne doesn't particularly want to be alone with me," River said quietly. "Do not wish to impinge upon his needs or rights."

"You ain't," Jayne shook his head, "But we gotta hash this out. We talk about this an' it turns out you've changed your mind about me, you three'll get off at Beylix an' I'll keep on with White Lightning. Ain't gonna force you to do a thing against your will."

"It is Jayne who is forced to do things against his will, her needs will force him into that which is repugnant to him," River frowned as he closed the door behind him. "Would not have Jayne change for me."

Jayne looked at River and shook his head, "All right." He moved over to their bed and sat down on it. He suddenly felt very tired, wanting a nap with his woman in his arms. But he'd never get that again if he didn't talk to her about this notion that he thought of her like she was trim. As if he ever could. "C'mere River," He watched as she tilted her head and looked at him before coming to stand between his knees. Sitting like this while she stood, she was taller than he was. It gave her control.

He put his hands on her hips, tugged her forward so she was snug against his body before he cupped her face in one hand. She was tiny, his palm covered her entire cheek and jaw and he was mindful that he'd better be gentle, whatever he did, his woman had delicate skin. Jayne drew her closer, until her face was above his, until he could reach her, and carefully brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, three times before he drew back, "Don't think of you like trim River," He told her quietly. "Just was afraid I'd...well that I'd lose control, forget where we were iffen I kissed you on the mouth."

"What makes it different from having his hands on my body?" River wanted to know and of course she'd ask a hard question. She had a knack for those.

"Ain't kissed anyone since I's fourteen an' left home. Got a powerful weakness for your mouth River," Jayne admitted. "Way you talk, an' smile, been thinkin' about kissing you since Miranda. Knew if I ever got to, might not be able to stop." He was unprepared for her to straddle his legs and wrap her arms around his neck, kissing him firmly on the mouth, her lips slanting over his and her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth. With a groan he let her in, let her tongue sweep inside, sucked on it teasingly and slid his hands over her ass and back. She was a fine firm armful of woman, slender and deadly and the prettiest thing he'd ever seen when she was all weaponed up. "God, woman," He groaned into her hot hungry mouth. "You feel what you're doin' to me?" He pulled her closer, his diǎo pressed against her nethers, hard as steel and filled with hunger for her.

"She is in a constant state of need for him," River muttered over his lips, still kissing him. "She wants Jayne inside her. Wants to be his _bàng jiār_ in truth."

"That all you want?" Jayne wanted to know, even as he couldn't stop kissing her. He'd been starving for her mouth, promising himself that someday he'd be able to kiss her without getting shot for it by her or the crew of Serenity.

"No," River seemed just as starved as he was. Her mouth was nibbling on his lips even as she spoke, "But more...must wait on our own boat, on our own rooms. My Jayne is not comfortable discussing these things when he is sharing a room and not on a boat he trusts implicitly." She seemed to sink into him and Jayne groaned slightly.

"Handy, you bein' able to Read me," He muttered. "Don't mean I don't want you River." Jayne forced himself to stop kissing her for a moment and looked up at her, "Wanna take you to bed and keep you there for a good three days. An' that might just satisfy me enough that we can sleep for an hour or two." He smirked when she just grinned at him over that piece of news, "But just beddin' you... is that gonna be enough for you River? It ain't enough for me anymore. You know that right?"

That knot of worry in his belly, the one that was founded in his fear that he was just handy for her, that he was a friend and she wanted sex and he'd do, seemed like it was wound tight as one of Mal's bootlaces until she brushed her lips over his forehead. When she started to speak he shuddered that she knew him so well, "My Jayne craves permanency, wants a home, needs his woman. All of these things... wants her to want the same. Afraid to ask. What if she says no?"

"Yeah," His voice was hoarse. " _Nān nān_ if you don't want that..." He shook his head, unable to articulate how that would make him feel. He was wretched enough without that thought in his head that she might not want him as a permanent partner, might not want a man a decade older than she was for long.

"Oh my Jayne," River's kisses were sweet, gentle and adoring. "Wouldn't have left Serenity if I only wanted a toy to play with. Don't want just sex. Need you. My big man. My partner. Only one to see me as a woman besides strangers. I don't want a stranger. I want my Jayne." She kissed him again and he groaned his relief into her mouth, taking the kiss, devouring her, sucking hard on her tongue and sweeping his into her mouth, invading and tasting until they were both gasping and moaning with need.

Jayne wasn't sure why he wasn't trying to go further with River, he wanted to, god knew he wanted to bury himself inside after spending several hours putting his mouth on every square inch of her skin. But he was so taken up with kissing her, and being able to hold her without anyone telling him he couldn't. He'd lost track of the times on Serenity when he'd wanted to kiss and touch and hold her and throttled back the need. He wondered how many times she'd wanted to kiss him or touch him and she hadn't because of Mal or her brother.

"Uncountable," She moaned into his mouth. "Dreamed of him, each time she saw him, wanted to touch, wanted to be his. Genius but she couldn't count all the moments in two years when she wanted him."

He groaned at the thought and tightened his grip on her back and _pì gu_ , "Ain't anyone gonna say you can't now." Jayne pressed a kiss to her neck and felt her pulse throb under his lips, "You can do this whenever you want _a stór_."

"So can my Jayne," River gasped and he felt her hands push under the collar of his shirt to touch the skin of his neck and shoulders. "Kiss her whenever he wants to now."

"Yeah I can," Jayne grinned at the thought and flicked his tongue over the hollow of her throat. "An' I'm gonna too."

River sighed happily and her lips brushed over his forehead, "Partners return to the bunk now." She groaned as he lifted his skin from her lips. "Need to stop."

"Don't care if I kiss you in front of them _a chroi_ ," Jayne disagreed and continued his attention to her neck. "Too pretty to not kiss," He rubbed his goatee over her neck and made her giggle and moan simultaneously.

"My Jayne doesn't mind that Riddick will see Jayne's hands on me?" River asked as she brushed a kiss dangerously close to his ear and sent a shudder over his skin. Jayne muttered a negative as he found the tender skin under her ear and laved it with his tongue. "Riddick will be able to smell what Jayne does to her," She murmured softly.

"Huh?" Jayne blinked up at her and pressed a kiss to her lips because he missed them. "What do you mean?"

"Riddick can smell, like a cat or a wolf," River moaned. "Read him, he can smell when I desire you, when you want me... to his senses I smell like honey for you. And you like clover for me."

He frowned a moment and tilted his head, "Well ain't like I can't smell when someone's had sex. Guess him bein' able to tell when folks are...wantin' like that ain't much different." He grinned up at her and she smiled in reaction, "I don't mind if you don't."

River's blink was a bit surprised but she tilted her head, "Misinterpreted, thought Jayne would be angry. Instead he is pleased. Pleased that someone can tell when his woman wants him, that they can tell when he wants her. Likes that it can be seen after hiding it so long."

"Yeah, could say so," Jayne grinned up at her. "Been hidin' it years. Kinda nice to have it out in the open." He kissed her again and was letting himself sink into the warmth that was her mouth when the knocking started. He sighed, "Yeah?"

"Time's up," Riddick's voice came straight through the door.

"Well we ain't nekkid or anythin'," Jayne laughed and continued kissing River. "C'mon in, already."

The door opened cautiously and Jack's head peeked around it, "You've been in here a solid hour and you're still just kissing?" The girl sounded shocked, "River I thought you said he had an appetite."

"Does," River mumbled and Jayne grinned as he pressed his lips to her pulse. "Two years worth of kissing to make up for," She explained as he pulled back and grinned up at her.

"Geez Cobb you ever hear a multi-taskin'," Riddick chuckled as he walked in behind Jack.

Jayne shrugged and flexed his hand on River's gorgeous legs, "Like to concentrate on things that're important." He gave himself the luxury of kissing River again and lifted her so she wasn't straddling him anymore, but still sitting in his lap. "And this were important."

River's lips brushed over his cheek, "She agrees my Jayne."

He smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder, "So what'd ya wanna talk on?"

The subject had turned out to be what type of ship they'd look for, something like White Lightning or more like Serenity. That had led to a discussion of what they were likely to find on Beylix, in Jayne's opinion just about anything, and River had dragged out her cortex and begun researching.

Jayne had tilted his head thoughtfully and looked at the other three, "Only got one problem as I see it, no matter what sorta ship we find."

"What'd that be?" Riddick was lying flat on the bunk with Jack sprawled happily on top of him. One of the big man's hands was across his partner's back while the other was cupping her ass. Jayne had noticed that Riddick tended towards very possessive in his doings with Jack and wasn't sure he blamed the man. Jack was nearly done with the sprouting portion of her growth spurt and as River had explained it, the next six months would be the little tweaks a body made in the years between eighteen and twenty one. But Jack's body shape would be pretty well set at least until something else, like pregnancy came along to change it.

"Gotta have a captain," Jayne pointed out in a tone so dry River grinned at him. "If only so there's a name on the manifest when folks come callin'."

"That ain't the only problem Cobb," Riddick shook his head as Jack's body shuddered in her sleep. At some point during the hypothetical talk about ships she'd started napping. Jayne wasn't sure if it was cute or funny the way she treated her big partner like he was her personal mattress but Riddick didn't seem to mind either way. "Name one of us don't have the law after us in some way or other."

"River's got enough huskin' skills that our records won't be a problem," Jayne shrugged that off. "I'd worry more than none of us are great at takin' orders. But didn't figure the captain'd actually be issuin' a lot a those. Ain't like we don't know how to do our jobs."

"Why don't we rotate it then, dependin' on the ships papers an' what job we're doin'," Riddick had suggested. "You or me'd be good iffen we're dealin' with mercs, makes a better show than one a the women. Tricky jobs or ones we wanna be underestimated on, River or Jack is in charge. Play to our strengths."

"A rotating shift system for chores and other things that must be done on our ship," River commented. "It is a good notion. Four equal partners."

Jayne nodded and traced a finger down River's cheek, "Best put that away. We can talk to Big Daddy an' the rest of 'em, see if they've got any notions. Things we might not know about, 'bout ships an' suchlike."

River nodded and closed the lid of her cortex, sliding it back into its case before she climbed into his lap again, "She would like to enjoy an embrace like their friends before the meal." Jayne grinned, her tone was coaxing but her hands were already pushing him backwards, certain he'd do as she wanted. It was actually kinda fun, bein' wrapped around River's fingers like this. She'd never tried to make him do anything he thought was wrong or unhealthful and it wasn't like he had a problem doing what a woman told him. Some of his best days had been when he'd been doing what he was told.

River giggled as she was wrapped up in his arms, "My Jayne is a good man. Hides it very well, but a good man."

"Hush now _nān nān_ ," Jayne smiled and rubbed a hand over her back. "We'll have a nap before dinner." Her response was a sleepy little purr as he cradled her close.

* * *

 

**_River_ **

River looked up as Jinny brought a plate of cheesy protein snacks over to the table and offered the cook a grin, "Thank you." She showed the older woman the used ship yards she'd been researching. "Trying to find a reputable dealer," She explained. "Need to buy a ship, turn it into a home, customize it."

"Any thoughts as to type?" Big Daddy asked as he entered the galley along with Geoff.

"Rick is our primary pilot, I am secondary," River offered. "Jack is our engineer. And Jayne knows welding and steel work. But it must be a ship we four can run and still have time for sleep."

"Well what sorta work you plannin' on?" Geoff asked as he took a seat. "What you need in a ship'll depend on that."

River smiled slightly, "Two men, two women, doubt we could do a lot of big cargo jobs."

Jayne entered the galley, followed by Riddick and Jack. Riddick's sharp ears had picked up on her conversation and he was shaking his head, "You ain't wrong there _Dāo Rèn_." River gave him a tiny grin at the -nickname. Riddick had seen her fight only twice before he'd pronounced her fast and sharp as a knife's blade. It was an acceptable name of affection for a woman he had no intention of bedding and contrasted nicely with his name for Jack, _Mì Táo_.

Jayne slid onto the bench beside her and kissed her lingeringly on the mouth before grabbing a cheesy snack, "Well what we end up with is gonna depend on what we can get." He pointed out in his usual practical manner. "Ain't every boat yard has a Firefly or a CL-54 in it."

"But in general," Jack frowned thoughtfully, "Do we want a mid-class transport? Something smaller? Bigger?"

Riddick shrugged as he slid onto a chair beside Jack, "I can fly 'bout anythin', just would be nice if it weren't a barge." He looked down the table at Geoff, "No offense kid, but your boat handles like a raft with one pole."

Geoff laughed and shrugged, "She's home." He looked at River, "Could try Chow's shipyard. He's got a rep for honesty."

"Romanova's is another that's decent," Jinny suggested. "And Big Daddy found White Lightning at Barton's Skyworks."

"Three places to begin," River smiled, "Near Newhouse or farther afield?"

"Romanova's is on the edge of Newhouse," Big Daddy explained. "The other two are farther out."

"There's shuttles you can hire," Geoff said cheerfully. "They'll take you out to the other yards."

River nodded, "More research must be done, we must see what ships are available." She shook her head over the cortex and closed it. Jinny was bringing in the meal and the conversation would be continued in private when she and her partners could speak more on what type of work they wanted to do.

* * *

 

River slanted a glance at Jack and grinned, the last time they'd been dirtside the two of them had gone on a more leisurely shopping trip and found girly things. The men had decided to bond over beer and cards in a tavern across from the shop and hadn't been too worse for the wear when River and Jack had come out loaded down with bags. Jayne had laughed and taken her bags, teasing her that she was making up for two years of not shopping. Riddick had picked Jack up, bags and all, growling about his woman wasting money on fripperies, but his hands had been gentle and he'd been whispering to her that he wanted her to show off everything.

Now Jack had stripped down to her panties and thrown the kimono she'd purchased on over them. River hadn't done quite the same thing, she'd put her athletic bra on along with her panties. She hadn't been certain she could control herself if she and Jayne had that much skin touching while they slept. His hands alone were enough drive her insane with desire and since he'd begun kissing her they'd spent a great deal of their time alone exploring each other's mouths.

Since their first night on the ship they'd developed a system, the girls would go in first, get ready for bed, and then open the door for the men. They'd retreat to one side of the canvas while Jayne and Riddick stripped down to their shorts on the other side and then each girl would move over to their side of the bunk. Tonight though, the four of them needed to talk and the canvas would have to be folded back until it was time to sleep.

River opened the door for Riddick and Jayne and retreated to the bed, with Jack doing the same thing on her side of the canvas, pulling her cortex out and switching it on as the men came in.

Jayne wasn't slow, no matter what Mal had said, he saw her with the cortex, Jack waiting on Riddick's bed, and reached up to unhook the canvas from the wall. Riddick had barely entered the room before the make shift divider was rolled up and stuck in a corner. "Guess we do all need to talk," The escaped convict nodded before he sat on the bed and pulled Jack into his arms. River watched as one of Riddick's big hands almost instinctively found Jack's hip while the other fingered the satin collar of her kimono. It was only after he got his hands on Jack that Riddick pushed off his boots.

River watched Jayne as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the laundry bag before toeing off his boots and sitting on the bed. He couldn't pull her into his lap when she needed to use her cortex but he stretched out on the bed behind her, tugging her back so she was leaning against his chest, his arm around her waist though she couldn't lie down with him.

"We must speak on the nature of the work we will choose to do," River said quietly. She felt Jayne's body behind hers tense slightly as if he was anticipating an argument. Across from them on the other bed Riddick was regarding Jack and then looking at River and Jayne.

"Don't expect we'll be lookin' too hard for cargo jobs," Riddick's voice was almost lazy.

"And with the skills we all have...it'd be a shame to not put them to some use," Jack pointed out. "I expect if we did take on some less than legal jobs we'd have better odds than most of getting paid and getting out alive."

River nodded, "It would not be likely that we could take on legal work, not without a great deal of preparation." She said quietly. "But the jobs that involve...theft, or..." She looked at Jayne, "What would you call the job like the one on Triumph?"

"Oh, hired guns," Jayne grinned at her. "Yeah we'd be pretty good at those. And 'tween you, Jack, Rick an' me, we'd have fairly decent odds of not gettin' on the wrong side."

"Yes," River nodded. "I also wanted to talk about the type of job I don't wish to take." She looked at Jayne, "I...don't want us to become bounty hunters. Not unless we have a personal stake in finding someone. I think we've all been hunted for too long."

"Dunno," Riddick's voice was still mild but he was interested. "For the right job? A law man comes to me, says he's got a rapin' bastard escaped off his planet and he ain't got the wherewithal to go get him? I might just want to hunt the _gǒu niáng yǎng de_ down."

"How's 'bout we don't rule them jobs out," Jayne suggested and River Read that he knew she and Jack were tense. "But iffen we take 'em we all four of us gotta agree to take 'em on? That way we'd be certain we was doin' right."

"I can live with that," Riddick nodded and looked at Jack who was already nodding her agreement.

River smiled at her partner, "A good solution." She concurred and began to type on her cortex, "Knowing the parameters of our jobs, and not ruling out bounty hunting or small smuggling jobs, just to keep our work diverse, I think we can eliminate any heavy cargo transport."

"Yeah, won't need a tank carrier or a cargo lifter like this one," Jayne chuckled. "Even a Firefly would be a little big for us."

"We would not need much passenger space either, basics only. I don't think we would wish to take on passengers, not unless we truly needed the coin?" River tilted her head questioningly and got three head shakes in return, nobody wanted strangers around. "What are the most important attributes we wish in our new ship?" She looked at her partner and then at Riddick and Jack, "What will we need most?"

"Speed," Riddick said firmly. "When we're at full burn I don't want anything to touch us."

"An' guns," Jayne added. "Never liked the idea that the boat I was on had no way to defend itself. Like the option of workin' a canon or two into a port. Somethin' to give us an edge 'gainst Reavers an' pirates."

River nodded, "Jack?" She looked at her friend who had a thoughtful frown on her face.

"I'd like the option to upgrade the engine," She said finally. "Rick wants speed, I'm guessing maneuverability would be handy as well. We'll need to start with a ship we can work with in terms of lines and aerodynamics in atmosphere. But we'll need something I won't have to baby along if we end up in a fight or a run for our lives. The other problem is I noticed on Serenity, when the pilot was landing or taking off... usually Kaylee had to be in the engine room. I don't want that."

River nodded, "With only four of us, we'll need to be certain the ship is reliable. It will be the fifth member of our crew." She looked at them and took a deep breath, "I would like to be certain we can make the ship a home. Part of what I loved about Serenity was the communal space, it felt like family. I want a ship we can take apart and put back together in a way that we will be pleased with. In addition, since all of us have been...well living in less than comfortable conditions, I want to give us comfort. Luxury if possible, in the personal areas of the ship. It might take time, but I... I'm willing to sacrifice cargo space if it means having a spot for my dancing and Jayne's weights and a sparring mat for all of us."

She could feel the worry in Jayne's eyes as he looked at her, "That won't be cheap River." He said quickly. "I mean, a lotta stuff, Rick an' me can do, got the muscle for it. But if you're talkin' 'bout guttin' a ship an' startin' over..."

"Planning on a ship that will require us to fill in the blanks," River said softly. "Buy it cheap, make the repairs, make it our own, from the engine to the bridge."

"Can we afford that?" Jack looked at River and then Riddick worriedly.

Jayne chuckled, "I got some money too." His big hand stroked down River's hair, "An' it ain't like I can't find work on Beylix. They's always lookin' for welders."

"And laborers," Riddick added. "Guessin' an engineer an' a cortex genius wouldn't have a hard time findin' work either."

"Could pull a bank job," River grinned. "Augment our funds." Riddick and Jayne laughed, their amusement rolling through the cabin and River shrugged, "Plenty of money. Invested my share of jobs."

"You mean you really got enough to buy a boat an' outfit it?" Jack blinked at her.

"Was always good at math," River shrugged. "Market strategies are not difficult," She looked at Jayne and then at their friends. "Several options amongst the suggested ship yards," She told them. "The first is a Knorr," She brought up the cortex link and clicked on the image to show theme the ship. "Mid sized transport, ample cargo space and crew space but a very simple engine system as I understand it."

Jack nodded her agreement as she frowned at the picture, "I could tweak the engine but it's so simple...don't know how much more I could coax out of it. And I don't think it'll have the maneuverability Riddick'll like."

Jayne was studying the ship and frowning, "Can't see where you'd get any guns on it. And they're run primarily as cargo ships."

"Its a possibility," Riddick was eyeing the image with a thoughtful expression. "Not my first choice though."

River nodded her understanding, "Second ship found is a Tree Frog, decent shape, pilots usually like her, could be converted for guns if need be."

"Got one problem with it," Riddick wasn't thoughtful about this one. "It's damn memorable."

"And parts are expensive," Jack put in. "They don't make Tree Frogs anymore an' parts aren't common."

"Memorable is not good," River agreed. "And it might be bigger than we'd really need. Bottom of the list then."

"What's next _nān nān_ ," Jayne's big hand stroked the kimono's silky fabric, the warmth of his fingers on her hip. The comfort of his touch was indefinable.

"A very beat up aught two Firefly," River frowned. "Not sure about this one, doesn't meet many of our specifications." She showed them the image and her companions shook their heads almost immediately. "Didn't think it was viable but still felt compelled to show you. Very cheap but not cheap enough for our purposes."

"Free wouldn't be cheap enough," Jayne muttered and gave her hip a little pat. "We don't gotta find something right away either," He reminded her. "Ain't nothin' says we can't take rooms an' go out to other yards, look around and see if we find anything. Can pick up a few jobs too, see if we can make ourselves a little reputation."

"What'll we call her?" Jack wondered, her low voice thoughtful. "We'll need a name just for her, regardless of what it says on her paperwork."

"I actually," Jayne was smiling slightly at River and she grinned in delight as she Read what he had in mind, "Actually had a notion 'bout that."

"Sunset and evening star and one clear call for me, and may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea," River murmured the lines he remembered from a book she'd taught him to read with.

"Yeah," Jayne nodded at her and captured her hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss. "I like _Clear Call_ , for our name for her."

" _Evening Star_ 's another good one," Riddick was supporting the idea, unexpectedly but she could tell he liked that the name would having meaning for them and only them.

" _Free Hearts_ ," Jack murmured softly and River nodded her understanding.

"Death closes all," She continued the poem a few lines on and smiled thinking of what she'd call the ship if she chose. " _Whate'er Befall_." She offered finally.

Jack's smile was sad as she Saw the memory that had prompted River's words, Simon comforting her when she'd been ill from the medications he'd given her, "I feel it when I sorrow most." The older girl continued the poem.

"Well we all got names we like, but what's gonna be her name? I reckon when we take turns as captain we use the ship's name we picked, though I like _Clear Call_ for her actual name," Riddick nodded to Jayne. "So if that's her real name, assumin' we agree on that, what'll the name be for when Cobb's captain?"

"Easy," River giggled at her big partner and sang at him, "I've been a _Wild Rover_ for many a year."

"An' spent all my money on whiskey an' beer," Jayne sang back teasingly. "Yeah, that's a good one. Old Kerry song," He explained to the other two, "Good drinkin' an' dancin' song."

"Found one other ship for our review," River remembered as she was tempted to lean back against Jayne to feel her partner's strong hard body against hers. "A courier...Arrowhead class," She brought up the image and showed her friends, "Good bones, but needs much work."

"Could get a lotta speed outa her," Jack grinned at the image. "The engines aren't too complicated but I could make enough adjustments to get her up to maybe seven or eight clicks cruising speed and eleven at full burn. Might be able to push it to twelve if I can find the right parts. But that'd be really risky."

"Eleven is good enough for me," Riddick stroked a hand over her hair as he looked at the image. "Seems a little beat up, but Arrowheads got good lines. They're pretty slick in atmo. And durin' the war, Independents favored 'em 'cause they were easy to rig up as gun ships." He pointed at two triangular shaped panels near the front of the ship, "Most often they'd put cannon ports there."

"She ain't too big," Jayne was sizing up the image. "But we don't much want big. What's it say about her condition?"

River tilted her head and frowned, "She'd need a lot of work. It says that the ship was nearly gutted, doesn't say why."

"That's all to the good then," Jack was nodding. "We can find parts on Beylix. That'll be easy enough. And you wanted to be able to fix it up just for us, right?"

River nodded, "Vote that we save her for last. She seems to be what we want, but we must come at this from a position of strength. Sending a wave requesting an appointment our second day on Beylix. Look at the first ships, except the Firefly, the first day," She suggested, her fingers moving over the cortex.

"So's we can mention the Tree Frog we saw an' the Knorr," Jayne grinned. "Might not be able to get much of a deal on the ship but we could get rights to work on it there. We wouldn't have to rent space at another yard, or rent space at all."

"And maybe a discount on parts if we can buy them from that yard," Jack added with a nod.

River smiled, "Suggest we all begin to make a wishlist of things we want on the ship. Jack has the artists eye so I will find a typical layout and we'll see what we can adjust and where as far as rooms and walls go."

"Let's do that after we've had a walk through of the boat," Jack suggested after a moment. "Don't want to get our hearts set an' find out its piece of _lè sè_."

"Wise thoughts," River conceded. "Who knows," She began to shut down the cortex and placed it in its case on top of her duffle. "We could fall in love with the Tree Frog."

"Yeah," Jayne grinned and got up to put the canvas back across the cabin. "Another day and we'll be dirtside. Better make arrangements for rooms or somethin' an' a place to keep our cargo until we find a boat."

"Hmm...did that before dinner," River smiled up at him as she slipped off her robe and got a groan of appreciation from her partner. Big hands slid over her waist and hips, pulling her back against a warm, muscled chest. "Two rooms, one bath between them, will have to share but better than no shower at all."

"Yeah," Jayne was wondering if he smelt bad, he didn't like sponge baths, felt as if he was always missing something when he scrubbed like that. "That'll be nice," Was all he added.

River looked over her shoulder, "My Jayne must take me to bed and let me reassure him that he does not smell foul." She told him. "Scrubs himself very clean," She added reassuringly.

"Hmm..." He wasn't thinking of scrubbing himself so much as wanting to sit in a tub with her. River smiled as her partner scooped her up in his arms and put her on the bed, climbing in after her and drawing the blankets over them both before cuddling her to his chest. "Get some sleep baby," He admonished when she kissed him gently. Jayne groaned at the touch of her lips and returned the kiss with interest before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

River did the same, calming her heartbeat as Jayne was in an effort to find sleep. "I love you my Jayne," She murmured against his skin.

"Love you too River," Jayne's words were no less heartfelt for being mumbled half into sleep, his hands tightened on her body possessively and River sighed in contentment and closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Plots and plans and hopefully no more miscommunication between our four folks.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> bàng jiār (lover/partner)
> 
> Nān nān (little darling/baby)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> Dāo Rèn (knife blade)
> 
> Mì Táo (honey peach)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)
> 
> lè sè (garbage/trash)
> 
> Irish Gaelic Translations:
> 
> a stór (my treasure)
> 
> a chroi (my heart)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> Sunset and evening star and one clear call for me, and may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea – Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
> 
> Death closes all – Ulysses – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
> 
> I feel it when I sorrow most – In Memorian – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
> 
> I've been a Wild Rover for many a year. - Wild Rover - Folk Song
> 
> An' spent all my money on whiskey an' beer - Wild Rover - Folk Song


	14. Fourteen

_**Riddick** _

Riddick looked around the bunk and then at Jack who was working on packing up everything they'd acquired in the six-week trip to Beylix. She and River really hadn't been that bad about shopping, since they'd left Persephone they'd really only had that one trip while he and Jayne had waited it out with a couple of beers. "You wanna give me some a that stuff? I can put it in my duffle along with the shirts and pants."

"No, I think I got it," Jack nodded as she rolled the last of her shirts up tightly and wedged it into her bag. "Since River bought a case for her cortex equipment we've all got more room," She added with a grin zipping the bag closed.

"Well it helps that she ain't tryin' to sneak offa this boat," Riddick chuckled. The girl in question walked into the bunk as he spoke and sent he and Jack a wicked grin as she opened and shut the drawers of the bureau, checking to see that they'd packed everything.

"No need to sneak," River agreed as she picked up her own bag. She'd slung her cortex satchel crossways over her body to keep it from slipping. The cortex equipment had wheels on its case so she could pull it along with her. Riddick noted approvingly that she had her sword on her back and her axe hooked onto her belt, her six gun opposite the axe. He and Jack were similarly weaponed up, knives and guns adorning their belts and legs.

"How far are the rooms?" Riddick asked curiously. He didn't think it mattered but he still wasn't easy about Jack's health. River had said that his partner had been more than half starved and that took time to recover from, longer than she'd had.

"Not very far away at all," River looked at Jack, "Stamina is increased but still not in the peak of health. By the time we have our ship in order Jack will be better as well."

"I don't like to complain," Jack admitted. "But I was wonderin' what the hell was wrong with me. Feel like I'm starvin' half the time and I get tired so gorram easy."

"Maybe see if there's somethin' we're missin'?" Riddick knew Jack wasn't fond of doctors and he didn't blame her but River wasn't an expert and neither were he and Jayne. Bullet removal yeah, but if Jack had picked up a bug somewhere…

River was nodding at him, "A sound notion." She looked at Jack. "My sister must see a physician for a physical. If a parasite has attached itself to her or if she is ill she must be treated. If fatigue is simply the aftermath of traumatic events then at least we will know."

Jack looked ready to argue until she was blue and Riddick wasn't gonna have it, "Jack." He shook his head, "We'll be with you. Won't make you go alone. But we are gonna go. It isn't right you still feelin' so hungry all the time. Especially since you're near done with the sproutin' River talked about."

"Wonder if she's got a tapeworm," Jayne speculated as he walked into the bunk and picked up the case with his guitar. "That'd explain a lot."

"What do you know about tapeworms Cobb?" Riddick hadn't really thought Cobb would know much about parasites or medical stuff besides bullet removal. It wasn't that the man was unintelligent, but he did seem to have preferred areas of expertise.

"My kid sister had one, got damp lung an' everything we gave her…just went to the worm," Jayne shrugged. "Simon found it when I made sure we had a job at home so Serenity would stop there."

"Wouldn't he have found it when he was examining me then," Jack wanted to know and Riddick nodded his support of the question.

"Simon wasn't doing a full diagnostic," River explained quietly and Riddick could smell her embarrassment that her brother had been less than his best for her friends. "Treated injuries only. Not pleased to have our friends on the boat."

"Why was that anyway," Jayne wanted to know. "I mean I got that he wasn't thrilled with the two of 'em but he ain't ever passed up a chance to do doctorin', even if it weren't needful like."

"Told Badger that Jack was my friend, my age and had a partner of her own, no one told her what to do," River reminded him.

Riddick growled under his breath, "And Simon was thinking along those lines? That you'd get ideas from me an' Jack?"

"Yes," River nodded. "It was at his behest that Mal spoke with you about bunking with Jack. Normal captainy concerns would be for smooth running of the boat and if Jack was willing. Simon put 'inappropriate relationship' in his head and drew the same comparison."

"No offense River, but I really ain't likin' your brother too well right now," Jack sighed. "But I guess that means first stop after the rooms is a doctor."

"Damn right it is," Riddick nodded. "We're gonna get you healthy if I gotta hunt down every doctor in the 'Verse." He was serious about it too, Jack was his, and damned if he'd let the best thing to ever happen to him slip through his fingers for lack of doctoring.

"I don't think that'll be needful," Jack told him dryly but her eyes were soft as she looked at him and he caught the scent of chocolate and maple syrup.

"Jack, sooner or later you'll figure out there's nothin' I wouldn't do to keep you," Riddick told her in a flat tone that was anything but romantic. "Means takin' care of you."

When Jack looked as if she would have argued River cut her off, "Men are funny this way." She said simply. "My Jayne is the same. Our capability and expertise has no bearing on their emotions. They feel protective. Proud that we are so skilled, willing to let us fight our own battles, but still very protective of their…mates."

"Yeah," Jayne was chuckling as he checked the distribution of his belongings over his torso and back, verifying he could still reach all of his weapons. "Don't make a lick a sense," He agreed with a grin. "That's just how we are. Like River always fusses when I get hurt. She knows it's the nature of the job but she still worries."

"Were I allowed more input into the planning stages my Jayne would not be shot nearly as often," River was scowling and Riddick wondered just how bullet prone her old crew had been.

Jayne just shrugged, "Probably didn't help that Mal never did expect anyone to double cross him." He met Riddick's gaze, "Mal was pretty simple, 'do the job, get paid'. He never did seem to get that most folks'd sooner not pay you for a job."

"Seems kinda…naïve for a Browncoat," Jack shook her head.

Riddick smiled, "First time someone tries that on us it'll be the last." He flipped one of his shivs in his hand. From the grin on Jayne's face he was fairly pleased with that notion. "Not that I mind your old cap'n's philosophy, but I'd add the addendum, 'or else someone bleeds'. Tends to make folk take ya a mite more serious."

"Long as the bleedin' ain't done by any a me an' mine," Jayne chuckled and looked around the bunk one last time. "I think we got everything."

Riddick nodded, his skin felt tight with the need to be moving, and he grabbed the case of River's equipment, "Only got the one bag, makes sense I carry this for now," He told her when River gave him a confused look. She nodded her understanding and Riddick headed for the door, "Let's get this movable feast underway."

"Rick, we're goin' from one room to another," Jack reminded him and the animal wanted to purr at the pure affection in her voice. "Don't see the rush."

"Animal's itchin' to be in the open somethin' fierce," Riddick admitted as they began to follow him through the galley and down the stairs. Jinny was standing by the airlock and smiled when she saw him, that was something he'd never get used to, Jinny seemed to genuinely like him. Or at least she liked who she thought he was, she didn't know he was a murderer or an escaped convict, but what she'd seen she liked.

"Look like you've got itchy feet son," Jinny's voice as sympathetic. "Too much time on one boat?"

"Got a powerful hankerin' for some sky," Riddick admitted. He didn't want to offend the cook though, she had been kind to him and very good to Jack, "Not that ya'll ain't been good company."

" _Dì yù_ Rick," Jinny chuckled. "Jayne's the same way. He'd always come give me a hand but he had a need to see what was around the corner."

"Jinny's just bein' kind about how much trouble I got in as a greenhorn," Jayne shook his head as he and the girls followed Riddick into the cargo bay and waited for the ship to land. The stairs would retract then and the airlock would open. An odd arrangement to Riddick's mind but it did keep the drunks from wandering upstairs when the boat was open for business.

"Now River told me she's got you rooms at Mackie's boarding house," Jinny ignored Jayne's comment in favor of what she considered important.

"Yeah, two rooms an' a bath between 'em," Riddick nodded.

"Good, and if Mackie gives you any trouble over meals you remind him that I recommend him to folks all over the 'verse and if he don't treat 'em right I'll be more'n happy to stop," Jinny folded her arms as Big Daddy came down the stairs. "Maybe I oughta should come with you. Make sure he knows to treat ya'll right."

"We have no doubt in the honor of someone you have recommended," River made a respectful bow towards Jinny before moving towards the cook and hugging her. "Thank you very much for all your kindness, even when I was such trouble at meals."

"Oh now that weren't anythin'," Jinny was blushing but she was pleased by the hug, Riddick could smell the warmth of her joy. "You ever want any other lessons you just wave me now."

"We will wave even if we don't need lessons," River smiled and Jack was nodding as well.

Riddick found himself speaking quietly, words he might never have believed would come out of his mouth as he looked at Big Daddy and Jinny both, "You been kind to us, an' ya didn't hafta. You been good to my partner. First friends we've made 'sides Jayne an' River. You ever need help, any kind, you wave us. We'll come." His words were supported by three solemn nods from his partners.

"Well we hope to see you again without needin' to take you up on that offer," Big Daddy replied his normally twinkling eyes sober. "But its mighty kind of you all the same." He braced himself against the hull as _White Lightning_ touched down and hit the controls from the airlock, "And we're here for three days if it turns out you start missin' us." He smiled, "And if you're interested in earnin' a wage while we're docked, could still use the four of you in the bar. Things ran smooth as silk with you ladies servin' while you fellas kept folks in line."

River and Jack exchanged grins and Jack looked up at Riddick, he didn't have to be a Reader or have the Sight to know the girls wanted to work for Big Daddy a while longer, "Iffen Cobb don't mind its fine with me." He shrugged, "More coin's always good."

"Ain't gonna be able to work all night though," Jayne warned the captain. "Gotta find a ship an' we can't do that on no sleep."

"Say from sundown until one bell," Big Daddy bargained.

"Deal," Riddick nodded. "We'd better get goin' though. See you tonight." He pulled his goggles down.

"Later on then," Big Daddy nodded.

* * *

 

There was something in the way she moved, her hips didn't sway exaggeratedly or anything, and she didn't bend over too much so fellas could look down her shirt. But watching Jack stroll around the bar, bringing 'shine and snacks to the tables just got his blood going. She was smooth, like the wind over sand, moving things before you even knew the breeze was blowing. Her steps were soft, not a dance like River's was; Jack was graceful but she wasn't a dancer. She was like watching a cat, sleek and curved in all the ways that made his mouth water, stepping precisely where she needed and no where else.

Now and then she grinned at him, a happy look that just sent warmth through him, made the animal want curl up with her and purr, and the man wanted to pull off every bit of clothing and nibble his way across her skin. Jack must have Seen what he wanted or else the look on his face was a bit too carnal because she blushed. Riddick smirked at her and took a deep breath as she moved towards him licking her lips, "You keep looking at me like that and I'm not going to last my shift." She told him as she emptied her tray of bottles and picked up a new round.

"Doc says I ain't allowed to touch you below the waist for another eighteen hours," He reminded her. "You're still tender."

"I hardly notice," Jack shrugged off the doctor's concerns. It turned out Jayne's notion had been right, it hadn't been a tapeworm exactly but the parasite had been attached to Jack's abdomen. The tiny curve of her stomach had disappeared when it was removed. The doctor had done a thorough exam and found several more, and one on Riddick as well, souvenirs of a boat they'd sailed before the one hit by Reapers. They'd both been given shots and some nasty tasty syrup to drink. Riddick was fine but the doc had to make an incision in Jack.

Seeing as she was a girl and a pretty one at that he'd made it as small as possible and gone through her belly button. Riddick hadn't much liked watching but he'd stayed, keeping Jack's hand in his even though she'd been doped up for the surgery. River had insisted on being present and had surprised the doctor with her knowledge and ability to assist. She'd explained to Riddick exactly what the doctor was doing and how careful he was being. If the parasite had been allowed to continue for much longer it would have begun to press on her intestines and her womb. Eventually it would have grown so large that it would have killed her.

Now, Jack was walking around like there'd never been anything wrong, the only thing the doctor had told her she couldn't do was have sex for at least a week and no pressure on her belly, no touching if she could manage it, until the next day. Riddick was keeping a good track of the hours, mostly to keep himself in check.

He was glad it wasn't hurting her though. The doctor had explained that this particular parasite was very adaptive; it gave off a chemical that numbed its host to any discomfort due to its presence. So Jack had been tired, fatigued from lack of nutrition but she hadn't been in pain. The doc had just made sure that effect continued until Jack healed up. Hence the no touching rule. Pressure would negate what the doc had done.

Riddick watched as Jack wound her way around the tables again and began placing glasses on a table, chatting with the guys there as she did. One of them was a little more flirtatious than the others, his hand rising to touch the small of her back hopefully. Jack slid out from under his hand but the man was just drunk enough and stupid enough that he didn't want to take no thanks for an answer. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his lap roughly.

Jack's cry of discomfort and outrage was still leaving her lips as Riddick left his spot by the bar. Fast as he could move there was barely time for the other wait staff and patrons to get out of his way. Jack's pointy elbow hit the man's side and her hard boot struck his shin as she pushed away from him, one hand protectively over her sore belly. Riddick loomed over the man as she took a deep breath and stepped another foot way, "What makes you think grabbin' hold of a woman who told you no is tolerated?" He growled leaning over the man and wrapping the man's shirt collar in his fist.

"She were flirtin' an' bendin' in front a me," The guy wheezed. "Thought she was..."

"She told ya 'no thanks'," Riddick snarled the words. "Or don't ya speak plain English?"

"She was..." The man was turning a little purple and idly Riddick wondered if he should relax his grip. But he'd hurt Jack and damned if he'd tolerate that.

"She's mine," He snapped the words out. "Mine. You touch her...I'll touch you. You hurt her...I hurt you back if she don't get to it first."

"Rick," Jack's gentle hand on his shoulder was the only thing that could get his attention. "Please. Killin' him'd make an awful mess." Her voice was amused and affectionate. She knew he didn't care about the man's life. He cared about her, he liked River and Jayne, and peripherally he liked Big Daddy and Jinny and their crew. He growled one more time and shoved away from the man, tumbling the now purple faced fella backwards in his chair to the floor.

"All right," He snarled. "No blood on the floors." He glared at the rest of the table and looked at Jack, " _Mì Táo_ , you all right?"

"Sore but I'll live," She nodded and looked at the chronometer on the wall. "Shift's nearly over anyway."

Big Daddy was watching from the corner and motioned for the two of them to take off. River and Jayne were already standing near the airlock, Jayne's hand on his gun, River's sword in her hand. They'd obviously been ready to take on all comers if Riddick's actions had precipitated a bar fight.

Riddick grinned, "Now that woulda been fun." He remarked to his little partner.

"Oh yeah," Jack rolled her eyes at him. "Fun."

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

Jayne was glaring around them while Riddick's expression was fit to kill. The walk back to the place they were staying hadn't been uneventful. Apparently drunks thought that any woman walking on the street was a potential date. Or else they thought she was a whore. That Jayne and Riddick were walking along with River and Jack hadn't seemed to matter much to the drunks. The men had felt compelled to do a lot of threatening and some actual punching before they'd reached their destination. Jack shook her head as they entered the boarding house. "We're all right you two," She reminded them. "I was sore for a bit but I'm fine now. And River's great. My biggest problem is going to be how to sleep. I can't sleep on my stomach; no pressure remember?"

River tilted her head, "Riddick will figure a way." She rubbed her forefinger over Jack's upper arm, reminding her of the injection site, "No swelling?"

Jack shook her head, "Nope. Two years' worth of safety, no blood an' no babies." She grinned, "So when yours runs out mine will too."

"Long as none of us forget," Jayne muttered. "Not that I'm opposed to little 'uns, but it'd be nice to plan for 'em an' not be taken by surprise."

"God no," Riddick shook his head. "Animal gets its head about that an' I can't promise Jack won't be round in the belly before its two years an' three months. I'm not anxious to get kicked in the balls."

Jack couldn't help laughing at the expression on her partner's face, "Why would you think I'd kick you Rick?" She barely remembered to not use his surname, "I'd probably be encouraging you. It'd only be after the fact that I'd get irritated."

"Somebody just do somethin' so that two years from now we all remember to either visit the doc or figure a way to keep flyin' with kids on board," Jayne muttered as he wrapped River in his arms.

Jack rolled her eyes, "Like you'd ever forget something like that."

River got their room open and pushed the door open, "Rick, sleep on your side, hold Jack like that, pressure not on her belly anymore." She advised before Jayne tugged her into their room impatiently and closed the door. River's giggle faded into a sigh that Jack could barely hear.

Riddick had gotten their room open and a bit more gently than Jayne had, tugged her inside, "How's the stomach _Mì Táo_?" He pressed a very gentle kiss to her lips. "Sore from the bar still?"

"Aches a bit but it's fading," Jack admitted. "I'll be fine by tomorrow." She began to strip off her clothes, keeping an eye on her partner. He was looking uneasy for the first time in months, "What's wrong?"

"Just worried I'll hurt you," He admitted taking off his boots. "It's gonna be gorram hard to get into bed with you and not touch the way we have been." Jack knew exactly what he meant. Ever since he'd first kissed her the two of them had been unable to keep their hands off each other. And while they hadn't had sex yet they'd done nearly everything else, something almost every night. Her partner was insatiable and she wasn't much better.

Jack watched his nostrils flare and knew he was taking in her scent, she was half aroused already just from thinking about him. "I guess you'll just have to be really careful with me then," She unhooked her bra and watched his eyes gleam in the shadows, silver going molten as he looked at her. She pushed her panties down her legs and grinned. "It's not like you don't know how to be gentle _yìng hàn_."

Her partner, one of the most feared men in the 'verse, had his eyes glued to her body like she was the first, last and only woman in the 'verse. "Yeah, just worried I'm gonna hurt you _yì zhōng rén_ ," He admitted, his dark voice tense as she moved towards him.

"Well its either gentle, or we can't do anythin' at all," She reminded him. "So should I put my clothes back on?"

" _Cào dàn_ no," Riddick nearly snarled as he pulled off all his clothing but his shorts. "But you ain't gonna be touchin' me much Jack. Ain't chancin' losin' control with you _Mì Táo_."

Jack sighed as his big hands began to touch her curves, tenderly helping her into the bed and lying beside her, all the tension of the day leaving her limbs and rendering her limp with exhaustion. "Hmm..."

"Yeah," Her big man sounded amused and rough, his whiskey and chocolate voice pressing kisses to her neck. "Yeah I thought once I got you horizontal you'd be tired." He drew her body so her back was against his chest, spooning up to her and holding her in place. "Get some rest _qīn 'ài_. I've got you."

Jack found his hand on her thighs and slid hers beneath it before exhaustion took over.

* * *

 

Blue hands. Blue tiles and white walls, chilling, like the coldest winter sky and ice frozen beneath it. Faces frozen without expression and dead shark's eyes but the mouths still moved. A dead world, bodies unmoving, a hundred thousand faces screaming out their silence while tens of thousands more broadcast their rage and hate. Needles and steel and falsely soothing voices, and pain. The pain was worse than a thousand cuts or bullet wounds.

"Jack," Riddick's voice. He couldn't be here. If he was here they'd found him and if they got Riddick they'd have the power to make her do anything. Run, run. She tried to tell him but her tongue was frozen and her lips wouldn't move and she was in that chair with screws through her hands and feet and skull holding her in place for the needles and chemicals.

"Run, please run, don't..." She moaned, knew she'd gotten the words out this time and was so grateful for it. "Please, don't let them take you. Go, please go. Just go. Leave me and go!" She was screaming it at him, why wouldn't he go? Why wouldn't he save himself? Didn't he understand that if they took him she'd never disobey them again? He had to save himself or she'd be completely lost.

"Jack!" It was a shout, right in her ear, and his mouth hot and hard on hers, drew her out, forced her eyes open.

"Riddick?" Her voice was small and scared and she wanted to cry with how childish she sounded. "You okay _yìng hàn_?"

"Am I okay?" He was incredulous, his expression and voice shocked at the question. "Jack, you were..."

"Nightmare," She shuddered in his arms and realized that through all of it he'd kept hold of her so she wouldn't hurt herself, wouldn't hurt her healing belly. "God that was a bad one. River must be..."

"Yeah," Riddick was kissing her neck again, his mouth brushing over the fear chilled flesh, warming her. "She's been cryin' in her sleep, beggin' and pleadin', same as you. Wantin' someone to leave her." His voice, that gorgeous voice she'd loved since she first heard it, went dark and angry, "You an' she better not be talkin' about me an' Cobb. You'd better not be tellin' me to leave you Jack, not even in your sleep."

Jack shuddered, "Please, Riddick. Its not that I think you would." She turned her head to kiss his shoulder. "It's not something we'll be able to explain in a place we're not safe. We've got to be somewhere we can't be overheard, can't be tracked or..."

"Somewhere we know for sure is just the four of us," Riddick nodded his understanding. "All right," He pressed a kiss to her cheek and hair. "Get some more rest, Cobb an' me'll talk on that tomorra."

"Hmm...I love you Riddick." Jack whispered, "That's why I always tell you to leave. They can't get a hold of you _yìng hàn_. Or else I'm just...lost." She knew, she'd Seen it, what would happen if the Academy got she or River back, what would happen with their men. Jayne, formidable in his own right, someone who impressed even Riddick, would become a killing machine, his emotions disconnected from his body, cold and distant. And her man, her beautiful Riddick with the animal inside him would be worse than an ancient Berserker in his rage, the man driven out until only the animal and the savagery to which it was driven remained. She couldn't let that happen.

"It ain't gonna happen Jack," Riddick's dark voice murmured in her ear. "Sleep some more _Mì Táo_. Talk about it in the morning."

"Don't let go," Jack threaded her fingers into his tightly. "Please don't let go of me," She whispered. She hated that the nightmares made her cry, made her weak in front of him, but it was always such a relief to wake up and find he was safe, that she wasn't back there. The tears came out of sheer release from the fear.

"Never," His grip tightened on her flesh and she sighed in contentment. "You're mine Jack. I'll never let you go."

She didn't even realize when she'd slipped into dreams, but she was aboard Serenity, watching as Mal shouted and Simon seethed while the first mate remained stoic and Wash sat quietly. Kaylee was cooking at the stove, her face troubled. "We're nearly to White Sun and there's no sign of her," The captain's voice was angry. "If she's on her way to Blue Sun we'd have picked up her trail by now."

"She's been friends with Jayne for a while Cap'n," Zoe's quiet voice pointed out. "If the girl don't want to be found he's been teaching her plenty about hidin' her tracks."

"More an' more I'm wonderin' if I shoulda thrown him out the airlock when I had the chance," Mal muttered and took a seat finally.

"Aw don't say that cap'n," Kaylee said sadly. "We wouldn't a lived through Miranda 'thout Jayne. An' he's been real good to River, lendin' her his guns an' teachin' her trackin' and to cook an' all. It ain't his fault he fell in love with her. He ain't ever done a thing about it. He left so's he wouldn't."

Wash threw in his opinion though his tone made it clear he didn't think it would count for much with the captain, "Jayne wouldn't ever hurt River. I'm pretty sure he'd cut off his hands before he hurt her." He smiled as Kaylee put a plate in front of him, "But nobody ever really told River why Jayne wasn't good enough for her. So when he left...is it any wonder she was upset and wanted to leave too?"

"Girl is near twenty years old," Zoe said quietly.

"Yes but she's still unstable," Simon's tone was cool and more than a little condescending. "None of you have heard her talking to herself in her room. She wanders around, dancing to no music, fiddling with her cortex and talking to nothing. These are not the actions of a sane woman. She's a girl with a damaged mind regardless of how adult she appears."

"I've heard her talkin'," Wash said quietly. "But it always sounded like an actual conversation," He looked at Kaylee. "Those earwigs you said River worked on, how many did she have?"

"Six I think," Kaylee took a seat and grabbed a set of chopsticks. "Cain't find 'em though. Went through her room an' everythin'."

"Are you saying my sister was using a comm to talk to someone when she was supposed to be in her room asleep?" Simon's voice was cold and set with anger.

Jack shuddered in her sleep and whimpered, that cold anger was part of why she hadn't liked River's brother, she'd Seen that in him from the first time he'd touched her. The Sight wasn't something she could always turn off and when he'd touched her to set her leg she'd gotten a flash of his face, set and furious, cold and self-righteous, spitting words like venom. She wouldn't have gone near him again even if she'd known about the parasite.

Riddick's hand squeezed hers, and even in sleep she felt it, his body warm and possessive cradling hers. Jack heard his voice murmuring, gentle, reassuring, his deep coffee and chocolate voice saying words no one would ever expect from the tongue of a hardened killer. "Mine," She murmured the word. "You can't take him from me. He's mine." His voice was amused now but still gentle, telling her he wasn't going anywhere, that he was hers, that she was his.

Dreams reached up and dragged her further under, and Jack let herself go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Simon's a tricky bird to write. He can be very loving but stiff or very narrowminded when it comes to how he does things versus how others behave. I don't want to make him solely responsible for all the evils in the 'Verse but I do think that he might find it a little too easy to overlook things that a general practioner of medicine wouldn't. Not caring for the influence Jack and Riddick have on his little sister would also make it easy for him to avoid thinking about any medical difficulties Jack would be having.
> 
> But our gang is making a start on their search for a ship. Exciting times.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Dì yù (Hell)
> 
> Mì Táo (Honey Peach)
> 
> yìng hàn (man of steel/tough guy)
> 
> yì zhōng rén (sweetheart / one's true love / the person of one's thoughts)
> 
> Cào dàn (fuck/damn it)
> 
> qīn 'ài (dear/beloved/darling)


	15. Fifteen

**_Jayne_ **

Jayne was bleary eyed and in no mood for any _zāo gāo_ from anyone when the breakfast bell rang. River had a pretty bad nightmare about the Academy and she'd been whimpering and begging for him to run, her slender hands had clutched at him, begging him to leave her, dark eyes staring at nothing until he'd tried shaking her and everything short of hitting her to wake her up. He'd finally gotten through to her with a hot hard kiss, something he knew she would never have experienced in the Academy.

She'd woken then, shaking so badly he'd thought she was going into shock, burrowing against his warmth and weeping silently. He'd hated that she was so upset, that he couldn't do anything to protect her from the dreams, the memories. All he could do was hold her, remind her that he was there, that he wasn't ever going to let those _hún dàns_ get their filthy hands on her again. He'd kissed her again, kissed her tears from her cheeks, ran his hands over her back and her pretty little _pì gu_ , reminding her that she was with him, that they were safe.

It had taken a while for her to go back to sleep, and longer for him to relax his guard for him to sleep along with her. It probably hadn't helped that he'd heard Riddick hollering Jack's name in a tone that pretty much guaranteed it wasn't in any sorta good way. That had been 'round the same time River'd woken up with her nightmare and Jayne guessed that bein' at the doctor's office hadn't done either of the girls much good other than bein' medically helpful.

So he'd been a bit grumpy and disinclined let go of River or get out of the decent sized bed when the bell rang. River had looked hollow eyed and her pretty mouth tight with strain when she'd woken up and Jayne had forgotten his own exhaustion. "Hey _nān nān_ how're you feelin'?"

"She would like to forget everything and crawl back into bed with her Jayne," River admitted and he'd tugged her closer and pressed a kiss to her neck. She was soft and warm and sweet under his mouth and he wanted to make her feel good.

"I'm likin' that idea just fine my own self," Jayne murmured against her soft skin. "C'mere baby, lemme feel that gorgeous body against mine. Got a powerful need for you River. Wanna kiss on you some."

"She is messy and will not taste good," River was only half-serious, her hands were pulling him closer.

"I ain't fresh as a rose neither," He found her pulse point and nibbled on it until she moaned and slid his hand up her thigh, loving how she felt under his palm.

"Hmm...loves what he is doing, but we will be interrupted soon," River moaned.

"I can shoot whoever comes in the gorram door," Jayne offered as he licked and sucked on the skin over her collarbone. "Long as you keep makin' them little moans, could be a pile a bodies an' I wouldn't care."

"Cobb," Riddick's voice was low, rough and tired sounding. "C'mon, gotta talk."

Jayne gave a growl even Riddick should have respected, "Later. Makin' my woman forget 'bout her lousy night."

"That's why we gotta talk," The convict was stubborn. Jayne groaned and looked up at River.

"Say the word _nān nān_ an' I'll keep goin'," He offered, pressing a kiss above the curve of her breast.

"It is important love," River's whisper was reluctant. "And we go to see the first few ships today. Jayne will need breakfast."

Jayne groaned but growled for Riddick to come in. River slipped into the adjoining bathroom while Jayne pulled the bed into shape. "What in the gorram 'verse cain't wait ten _gāi sǐ_ minutes?" He nearly snarled at the other man.

"Your woman an' mine... the nightmares," Riddick said flatly. Jayne pulled out a set of cargos and a shirt and threw them on the bed before he found a fresh pair of shorts.

"Yeah, heard Jack was havin' one too," Jayne nodded as he stripped down and gave himself a quick wash in the basin before he put on the clean clothes. "Your girl goin' on 'bout you leavin' her there too?"

"Yeah," Riddick's expression was thoughtful as he looked at Jayne who was checking his socks for holes before pulling them on. "Didn't figure your hearing was near good as mine."

"It probably ain't," Jayne shrugged as he drew on his cargo pants. "But I heard enough. You practically shoutin' her name, an' it weren't 'cause you were pleased 'bout somethin'. An' Jack beggin' you to run. As if that's somethin' you'd ever do."

"She don't seem to quite..." Riddick scowled. "It ain't somethin' she'd ask me, were she aware."

"You woulda heard River pleadin' with me to do the same thing," Jayne nodded. "She weren't rightly wakeful when she was sayin' it."

"So what the fuck scares 'em so _gāi sǐ_ much that they'd try to get us to leave 'em in a nightmare?" Riddick wanted to know.

Jayne sighed and pulled on his shirt, "Reckon you an' Jack ain't had anywhere safe she could tell ya 'bout the Academy." He said quietly, "River don't gotta tell me. I know about the _tā mā de_ place. An' I know why she'd beg me to leave her an' run."

"Well I don't," Riddick was pretty mad Jayne figured. No man liked to be in complete ignorance of something that threatened and scared his woman that badly and Jayne guessed it was worse for men like he and Riddick. "An' Jack says it's not somethin' she can talk on where she's afraid a bein' heard. So you, me, River an' Jack are gonna go on a little trip. We're gonna take what we need for two gorram days an' go out into the country and make camp and by fuckin' God I am going to hear what it is that scares Jack so bad. An' if I gotta I'll burn the 'verse up planet by _tā mā de_ planet to get to the bastards."

Jayne sighed, "You really feel like tellin' our women that we ain't gonna look at ships today? We're gonna go on horseback out to the middle of nowhere so they can tell you all about a place where they were tortured and molested. Rick does that sound like somethin' you'd wanna do after a night like last night?"

"Shit," Was Riddick's succinct reply.

"Yeah." Jayne began to pull on his gunbelt. "I can tell ya that it's always worse for River after she's had to be in an infirmary or 'round doctors she don't know. I'd guess it's the same for Jack."

"So you don't think they'll have 'em again tonight?" The silver eyed man didn't sound pleading exactly but he did seem more than a little desperate.

"An' you couldn't do nothin' with Jack to get her relaxed either," Jayne reminded him. He rolled his eyes when Riddick looked at him blankly. "Yeah butter wouldn't melt. Ya think I don't got a nose?" He shook his head as he slid his guns into the holsters and began to put his knives in his boots and one strapped to his thigh. "You an' Jack been goin' hot an' heavy every night since I left ya'll alone that one time. River an' me ain't stupid an' we ain't deaf, dumb an' blind neither."

Riddick didn't quite blush but Jayne did get the impression that he'd hoped the other couple was unaware of what he and Jack had been doing, "Well fuck me."

"No thanks," Jayne chuckled. "Point is, maybe I ain't quite like you Rick, but I don't gotta be. An' if you think River cain't tell when you're sexin' Jack you've lost your gorram mind." He shrugged as he looked in the mirror and mentally noted that he'd have to shave that night. "River an' me, we just kiss an' cuddle 'til you two are ready to sleep. An' whatever upset Jack's been through that day, you two touchin' like that makes her feel better. But she was in pain yesterday, had a doctor visit, an' you two couldn't mess around. I'm amazed the girl slept at all."

"But why'd River have a nightmare then?" Riddick shook his head with a frown.

Jayne shrugged, "Couldn't say exactly, but she's a Reader. She an' Jack are like sisters, and she was in the same doctor's office."

"So if Jack has a nightmare, chances are River'll have one too?" Riddick sounded as if that was all of his worst thoughts come to life.

"An' if River has one, chances are Jack'll See it an' she'll have it too," Jayne offered that less than consoling thought.

River entered the room then, her hair damp and looked at Riddick, "Jack wants you Rick." She blushed, "She said something about making up for last night. I didn't inquire too closely." She watched as Riddick left and looked at her partner, "Jayne is worried." She murmured.

"Only a little," He moved towards her and playfully tugged at the robe she had wrapped around her body. "I'd be a lot less worried if I was distracted."

His woman smiled teasingly and loosened the sash of her robe, "Is my Jayne sure?" She asked softly. "He will not be able to play with her now. Won't even be able to play tonight. Jayne doesn't feel safe here. None of us do. Can't let down our guard until we are safe."

Jayne slid his hand inside the neckline of her robe to the soft skin of her shoulder and down to her back, pressing his lips to her neck, "I know." He muttered. "But I do wanna see River. Tonight maybe? Let me see a little more than I have been?"

River nodded shyly up at him and he brushed a kiss over her lips loving the taste of her, his soft sweet deadly girl, "Yes. Tonight. She will want to touch more too, like Jack and Rick."

Jayne grinned, "Well iffen we don't find a ship today, that's somethin' to look forward to. Once we get done on _White Lightning_."

* * *

 

The Tree Frog looked like it would be a lot of fun to fly, Jayne had thought. They'd all looked at the Knorr and thought it wasn't a bad ship, but there wasn't much they could do with it. The Firefly hadn't even been worth seeing so they hadn't bothered to look at the interior.

"So we like the Tree Frog if it weren't so memorable," Jayne asked as they made their way to White Lightning.

"An' we'd be attractin' all manner a cargo jobs we don't really want," Jack added. "We'd end up takin' on passengers too, which we also don't want."

"Pretty ship," River added, "Something to keep in mind when we have alternate identities established, or if we wish to turn pirate." She winked at Jayne and he couldn't help chuckling and picturing her in a funny hat with a flowy white shirt and tight pants holding her sword. That made her giggle as she Read it and he grinned at her.

"Yeah, we end up with sprouts it'd be a ship we oughta think on," Riddick was clearly thinking of the future. "But right now? Dunno."

"It's in good shape, and I could definitely tweak the engines some. It's a fast boat already," Jack was considering the possibilities.

"Easily converted to a gunship," River nodded. "So still on the list?"

"More so than the Knorr," Jayne offered and got a nod of agreement from Riddick.

"Well then, work now and afterwards, a good night's sleep," River grinned. "Tomorrow the Arrowhead."

Jayne chuckled, "And then the fun begins. We hope."

Riddick's dark laugh rang through the air as they entered _White Lightning_ , "Yeah. Hopefully we don't have too much fun tonight."

"Chances of a brawl are one in five," River kissed Jayne, a hot wicked kiss that sent all the blood temporarily out of his brain. She tilted her head thoughtfully and looked around, "Strange. Chances of a brawl are now one in four."

"Kiss me again an' maybe we can get it down to three," Jayne grinned lasciviously down at her and was given a quick light kiss for his trouble. When the odds didn't reduce further he shrugged, "Oh well. Whistle if you want me _nān nān_."

Jack was kissing Riddick as if she never intended to let go of him. The convict's hand had threaded into her hair and was holding her mouth to his as if he'd never let go of her. It was only when Big Daddy cleared his throat meaningfully that Riddick let Jack slide down his body and get to work.

Jayne looked at Riddick and then at Big Daddy, "River says chances are one in four there'll be a fight tonight." He warned the ship's captain, "You might wanna check guns at the door."

"I'll keep it in mind," Big Daddy grinned and signaled to the man he had on the door.

Jayne leaned against the wall and watched River. The bartender was all kindsa entertaining but his girl was the prettiest thing in the 'verse and watching her move was better than any sorta bottle throwin' act the bartender could do.

About two hours into their shift someone tried to grab River and got dumped on their _pì gu_ for their trouble. Jayne growled in a way that had Riddick, who was half dozing out of sheer boredom, sitting up and taking notice. The fella who'd grabbed River had friends who took exception to a ninety-pound girl manhandling their pal.

River's drink tray made a fine improvised bludgeoning weapon but when one of the troublemakers crashed into another patron's back the fracas really started. Jack ended up in a little spat of her own when someone else decided she should watch the fight from his lap. She disabused him of that notion with a fistful of knuckles to his eye but by that time the entire cargo bay full of drinking folk had erupted into violence.

Jayne was actually glad Big Daddy had taken the advice and was checking guns at the door. Riddick was restraining himself and hadn't reached for a shiv once. That had to be some kind of miracle, he was contenting himself with beating people bloody with his bare fists. He'd reached Jack and though it was clear that the two of them didn't have the experience fighting together that Jayne and River did, they were holding their own pretty well. He and River had put their backs to each other and were taking on all comers.

It took about twenty minutes and ended with Big Daddy ratcheting his shotgun loudly, "All right that's enough a all this _gāi sǐ dà fèn_. Anybody can get up on their own, you pay at the door, collect your _zá wù_ and go. You can't get up on your own, my people will collect, find your _zá wù_ and throw you out."

One of the men at River's feet snarled something extremely derogatory and Jayne's woman had her LeMat in her hand in less time than it took to blink, "If you call me anything like that again I won't bother to shoot you. I'll let my partner rip your intestines out through your nose. Now get out."

Jayne growled down at the man and let his hand drift to the big knife strapped to his thigh hopefully, "I could cut on him some _nān nān_. That'd speed him on his way."

That got the man scrambling in a backwards crab crawl and hurrying out the airlock, money shoved carelessly into Liddy's hands. Jayne chuckled and looked around the room, "Anybody else got anythin' to say 'bout my woman or my partners?"

No one did sadly enough. And Big Daddy decided there'd been enough excitement for one night and closed down the bar until the next day. Jayne sighed, he'd really been hoping for a bit more fun.

"Cheer up my Jayne, we will go to bed early," River's hand slipped around his arm.

He couldn't help grinning down at her, "Well that don't sound like bad news."

* * *

 

**_River_ **

River looked up at Jayne as he shut the door to their room and smiled hopefully, "Still wishes to see more of his partner?"

"Did I suddenly turn stupid?" Jayne chuckled and slid the bolt home before he began to take off his boots and shirt. His blue gaze was hot on her skin as she began to undress, as if he couldn't bear to look away from her.

"How far do you wish this to go?" River asked as she unbuckled her boots and set them aside. Her big partner had managed to strip down to his shorts and was gathering up his shaving equipment. She Read that he was worried about leaving whisker burn on her soft skin. The smile that curved her lips felt better than anything she'd experienced aboard Serenity.

Jayne's warm gaze met hers in the mirror as he lathered up his neck and jaw, "Far as you want _nān nān_. Ain't interested in pushin' you farther than you're ready to go." He smiled slightly before concentrating on the flat blade scraping hair and foam off his throat. "That bein' said, love to pet on you, make you fall River."

She could feel her cheeks turn red and shivered as she slowly pulled her clothing off, "I would like to make my Jayne fall." She admitted quietly. "I would like your seed in my mouth, to kneel over you and put my lips on your body until you go mad with need."

She hadn't though his eyes could become a hotter blue but they looked positively electric as he stared at her in the mirror. "Take everything off River," He gave the command in a voice that should have sounded harsh but she could feel was rough with desire. "I wanna see every inch a you."

Jayne wasn't her intellectual equal, though he was by no means as stupid as Mal had considered him. He was at best sometimes her equal in hand to hand combat and knife work. She was a better shot with a pistol than he was, though a shot to the head and one to the heart killed just the same. His strength and size exceeded hers but that meant nothing to someone with her knowledge of anatomy. But Jayne could say something like that and somehow, in spite of all the ways she could best him, all she wanted to do was obey. She began to pull off the last of her clothing, bra and panties put in the laundry bag.

His throat was working as if he was suddenly having trouble swallowing. River watched as her partner carefully shaved the last of his whiskers off and put the blade away. His blue eyes seemed to burn as they met hers and when he turned around she could see how aroused he was by the sight of her. "Get on the bed," He uttered the words in a voice choked with lust. She felt like she was swimming in it, his need for her seemed to fill the room and hers for him threatened to overwhelm her.

"Jayne would like to-" She didn't get much further in her question as her partner covered the distance across the room in two strides and put her on the bed. His hands gripped her waist and pushed her onto her back before his body covered hers. River shuddered his body was huge, pressing her into the mattress and she'd never felt so overwhelmed by sensation. She could feel everything, his legs between hers, the hair on them tickling her smooth skin. His _diǎo_ pressing between her thighs, hard and hungry for her, delicious pressure. His hands moved from her waist up her back, they felt huge over her skin and she had the fleeting thought that she was too small for him to ever be satisfied with touching her. She opened eyes she didn't realize she'd closed and Jayne was simply looking at her, his expression hungry and tender before he bent his head to hers.

His kiss was like nothing she'd ever felt before, somehow it was different, sweet and starving. Need and desire was like a live thing in his chest and it echoed everything that had begun growing inside her after Miranda. His kiss seemed to fill her and she wondered if it was the same for him, if everything inside her just fed what was within him. But his lips were hot and gentle and firm on hers, demanding her attention and she let go of thought and simply felt.

He was gentle, careful with her, mindful of how much smaller than him she was. River realized that contrary to resting all of his weight on her body Jayne was propped up on his elbows so he wouldn't crush her. His mouth left hers to trail down her throat, his tongue hot on her pulse, feeling the pounding of her blood under her skin. She moaned and her hands fisted in his hair as Jayne's mouth slid down to her breasts. She couldn't describe the sensations, she felt too full for her skin, everything was tight and hot and she wanted to burst with sensation if only to find relief. His lips surrounded one nipple, tight and hot in his mouth and began to suck, long slow exquisite pulls of pleasure that seemed to flood her body with heat, pulsing between her thighs in time to the leisurely tugs of his mouth.

River shuddered, her thighs parting around his body, feeling his cock rubbing right against her _yīn dì_ and felt his body stiffen and nearly tremble at the feel of her flesh. She could feel her body readying for his, hot and damp between her thighs and knew Jayne felt it too. Then he moved his mouth to her other breast and she cried out in blissful shock at the renewed sensations, "Jayne, ohh...my Jayne."

"Hmm..." His groan of appreciation rumbled through his chest and she got a flash of how she felt under him, how much Jayne loved the way she felt and responded to his touch. His body ached for her, the same as hers did for him and she shivered under his mouth. His lips pulled away from her breast and he raised his head to look at her. River shivered again as air hit her damp nipple and it tightened in almost painful need. "I wanna taste you River. Know you ain't ready for full on sexin' but I wanna taste you, make you fall. Wanna hear you screamin' my name _nān nān_."

"Want Jayne inside me so badly," She could barely whisper for the pounding of her heart. "I want to taste you. Want your _diǎo_ in my mouth, giving you _kǒu yín_. Want to be on my knees for my Jayne."

"God River," Jayne groaned and she felt his body throb against hers. "I want that too baby, but right now..." He began to trail kisses down to her belly. River moaned as every muscle in her body seemed to tighten. Jayne's hands slid down to cup her hips and thighs, draping her legs over his arms and spreading her body wide for his gaze.

He looked greedy and pleased and hungry and yet so... she didn't have words for his expression, but she could feel everything in him. So much love, spilling out of his heart, determination that she be pleasured, that he prove to her that he was good enough. His breath stirred the curls that decorated her _wài yīn_ and felt hot and right against her bare nether lips as he simply looked at her for a moment. "My Jayne has never failed to show her what is in his heart," River whispered. "My partner, my big man, perfect for me in every way. Please my Jayne, take."

"That's for later," Jayne groaned and began to kiss her, hot little kisses over her inner thighs and on her nether lips until she was squirming and moaning for him to do more. His chuckle was more than a little wicked as he licked down into her, a long slow stroke of his tongue from her _táo huā yuán_ up to her _yīn dì_ , tasting her. And then he was thrusting his tongue deep inside her, teasing and fucking her with it until she was ready to scream in frustration because it was wonderful and not enough.

"Jayne, please," She didn't know her voice could sound like that, desperate and wanting and ready to give him anything if he'd only satisfy her. His evil chuckle vibrated against her body and River squirmed helplessly moaning in his grip. His blue eyes looked over her panting body, hot and gleaming with desire and she had the urge to drag him up for a kiss and _jiàn guǐ_ with waiting for a safe place before he took her completely. "Please, don't make me wait anymore," River was vaguely aware, and uncaring, that she was begging. His eyes seemed to nearly glow at that, and as she watched he bent his head down and began to lick upon her clit. It was worse and better than his mouth on her nipples, long slow strokes of his tongue driving her mad until she was crying out, uncontrolled in her need.

When her fall came, in spite of everything it caught her unaware, one last torturous lick rubbing her over-sensitized flesh and she screamed his name as fire simply rolled outward through her body. Every millimeter of skin inflamed simultaneously as her muscles contracted and spasmed in pleasure. It was wonderful and terrible and she was weeping with need and gasping in bliss. But he wasn't done with her yet.

Jayne's body rose over hers, pulling her under him until his face was level with hers and her breasts crushed against his chest. One big hand cupped her mound, his leg between her thighs a delicious weight and she felt his fingers teasing the opening of her yīn dào , thick and warm between her legs. "My woman," He groaned and brought his mouth down on hers, making her taste herself on his lips. "Love watchin' you fall _bǎo bèi_ ," He told her between kisses. "Love hearin' you scream my name. But now you're gonna ride my hand River."

She shuddered and gasped into his mouth, moaning her assent even as his thick fingers began to push inside her body. Her partner had big hands to match the rest of him, there was nothing diminutive about Jayne, and she felt stretched around his two fingers, burning hot and shuddering. Her body was trying to adjust, and he was making her feel so full, pushing and pressing up inside her. River moaned as his hand stilled and began to withdraw, "No Jayne, no, don't stop. Please my Jayne. Don't stop."

He groaned into her mouth, "Ain't stoppin', ain't gonna stop 'til I feel you fall around my fingers River. Gonna fuck you with 'em _bǎo bǎo_." Jayne slid his fingers back inside her, deeper this time and she gasped in pleasure. "That's it River," His voice was demanding and encouraging both, his mouth devouring hers. He withdrew them again and she moaned and arched her hips for more. "That's my beautiful girl," Jayne's lips teased hers, "You want more baby?"

"Yes please," She gasped the answer. "More. Make me ready for your _diǎo_ , please Jayne." In response he gave her a third finger, stretching her body further until she was bucking against him in need. "God Jayne! Oh, Jayne! Please, yes," She was a little more prepared for her fall but not for the force or power of it, her hips pushing onto his hand wildly as he fucked her with his fingers and ecstasy slammed into her body with the force of a blow. She screamed into his mouth, feeling his body hard and straining for hers as she shuddered and trembled with the power of her orgasm.

Her Jayne was shuddering with his effort to control his need, wanting nothing more than to bury himself in her body, tight and clinging to his fingers still. She shivered and kissed his chin and began to push him backwards, "Hmm... what're you doin' River?" He muttered as he let himself be pushed off her body.

River tugged and prodded and mourned to the loss of his hand from between her thighs when positioning forced him to withdraw his fingers from her body. Finally he was sitting up and River grabbed his shorts and began to pull them off of him. "My Jayne must be naked," She insisted and her breath caught at the sight of him, half leaning back, his body hard and ready for her, ruddy with blood and seeping precum at his tip. He was very impressive, "So handsome." River murmured as she gently nudged his knees apart and knelt between them.

"River, god baby, I wanna say you don't gotta but I really-" Jayne took a deep gasping breath and River leaned forward to lick at the tip of him. "God _bǎo bǎo_ , I ain't gonna last long after..."

River looked up at him and smiled, "My Jayne was very generous with her. She will pleasure him now." She could feel it in him, the need for her, identical to hers for him. His hand found her hair and wrapped it around his fist and she moaned at the heat that filled her at that. Dipping her head down, River licked at his cock again, "She does not know much of this, but what she read. Jayne will tell her what he likes?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "Right now, feel like I'm starvin' for you to touch me River." Jayne's body was straining upwards towards her and she shivered and surrounded the head with her mouth. His moan was long and came from deep within his chest. Curious she sucked a bit and felt his hand tighten in her hair, "God River." His voice was strangled.

Recalling what she'd read River experimentally sank her mouth onto his cock until she felt the head pressing against her tonsils before she pulled back up. She couldn't fit his entire _diǎo_ into her mouth, not without it pushing into her throat and she wasn't sure she could do that just yet. Instead she sank back down as far as she could and wrapped a hand around the base of his _jī ba_. He groaned, "God, _nān nān_ that's so good... Just use your hand an' your mouth together River. So good baby."

She could see, in his mind, exactly what he needed, what he wanted. Jayne truly loved what she was doing, loved that she was willing to do this for him, so different from the whores he'd paid. She was less experienced but he could feel the change, it was different when he loved the girl in question, when she loved him, when she wanted to do this for him. He was used to not caring about the women who serviced him, used to being in control, moving his hips and taking what he needed. That wasn't to say that he didn't pleasure those women, it was something he took pride in. But when he had to pay for _kǒu yín_ he liked to put the woman on her knees, stand in front of her and use her mouth.

Now her would be lover was trying to control himself, not wanting to scare her, or act like the merc _hún dàn_ everyone thought him. "My Jayne tries so hard to control himself," She rubbed the tip of his cock over her lips as she spoke. "She wants to satisfy him. He should stand and use her mouth," River coaxed, licking at his hard flesh.

"Nah, that's not..." Jayne shook his head, "Dunno if you like it or not River. An' I'm so gorram close right now, just...lookin' at you like that _nān nān_." He groaned as she began to suck on the head of his _diǎo_ again, sinking her mouth onto him and using her hand to continue the caress. " _Tā mā de dì yù_ , River..." He groaned harshly in his throat and his hips moved of their own accord before he regained a measure of control.

River moaned in her throat as Jayne's hips twitched again, she loved how he felt, how hard his _diǎo_ was in her mouth, dragging her lips up and down his flesh, the tang of his ejaculate seeping from the head in his need. He was hot and hard and every now and then his hips twitched or his hand tightened in her hair as if he was close to losing control and she could feel it between her thighs. She sucked hard on the tip of him as she pulled upwards and was rewarded with a guttural moan.

"God River I'm so tā mā de close," Jayne sounded as if he'd been running miles, his heart was pounding. She stole a glance up at him to find his eyes glued to her face, hot blue, dark with lust as he watched her mouth suck on his cock. It was a look that sent even more heat to her belly, and she moaned around his cock, licking and sucking. Something in her expression, in how she felt around him, drove her partner over the edge. He shuddered and his hand pulled hard on her hair, his cock shoving past her lips to shoot on her tongue. River moaned again, Jayne's body was trembling, his hips pushing upwards and his seed spurting out, hot pulsing bursts onto her tongue as he emptied his body into her. Her name was a long low moan of bliss as his _jīng yè_ filled her mouth.

Hot, tangy, salty, River moaned around his softening cock and swallowed and swallowed again, licking and caressing his flesh until she was certain he was finished. Only then did she release him so she could press her lips to his thighs and belly, following the line of dark hair up his chest to his neck. His hand was still fisted in her hair and he was panting but Jayne grabbed her into his arms and crushed her to his chest, his mouth on hers, hot and hard. "He liked her mouth then," River asked curiously. Her research had indicated that men didn't care for kissing after oral sex but Jayne had kissed her after he'd tasted her flesh and now he was kissing her again.

"Don't think I've ever had better," He groaned into her mouth. "The look on your face River, like you liked what you were doing... Never got off so quick like that before."

"He kisses her still?" River tilted her head curiously. She could still taste his seed on her tongue, which meant Jayne could also. "Jayne didn't kiss his whores after they did this."

"No, didn't know who else they'd had in their mouths. Didn't wanna eat them either," Jayne shrugged, still kissing her as if he didn't want to stop. "You're my girl though River. Pretty sure you ain't gonna be fuckin' no one else nor suckin' anyone else off." He paused slightly and looked at her, "Less you're put off by this? Me kissin' ya after you been suckin' on my cock?"

"No," River shook her head, "Like that Jayne will kiss her. She will only have him. No other. Just as she will not share him with others." She smiled and kissed him again, "Love you my Jayne."

"Well just so's you know, that ain't somethin' you gotta do," He smiled against her skin. "Love it but you don't gotta. I'm fine with your hands on me."

"Jayne thinks she did it for his pleasure alone," River frowned up at her big man. "Did he put his mouth to her only because she would like it?"

"Hell no," He shook his head. "Loved tastin' you baby. Loved feelin' you fall under my mouth. Wanna do it again." He slid a hand down her back to cup her ass, "You taste so good River."

"Jayne must put his hand between her thighs," River shivered as he did so, his fingers immediately soaked in her moisture. "He sees now, that she loves how he feels in her mouth? That she wants nothing more than to take him as he imagines?"

"River, it ain't exactly nice..." Jayne had tumbled her onto her back and was rubbing his hardening _diǎo_ against her wet pussy.

River moaned at the feel of his body against hers, "She is not nice. Jayne is not nice. Passion isn't nice my love." She tried to explain. "I wanted to pull your hair and push your mouth down onto my _yīn dì_. That wasn't nice was it?"

"Wish you had," Jayne groaned. "Woulda been hot to have you putting me where you want me." His mouth was busily kissing and caressing her neck and shoulders.

"Would have loved for you to fuck my face," River shuddered, wrapping her arms around him. "Would love for you to do that with me. Want to be what you need my Jayne."

"But you don't gotta if you don't want," He tried to explain. "That's what I asked whores to do baby. You ain't a whore." He'd kept one hand between her thighs and was teasing her with his fingers, "Now do you wanna keep talkin' 'bout this or are you gonna let me play with you some more?"

River tugged his face up to look at her and kissed him, "I love you my Jayne. I belong to you. You belong to me. Do what you want with me my _shuài gē_. I trust you."

His groan of pleasure and his fingers sliding into her, sending pleasure bursting through her body was her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Ah…so this ran a little long… We won't have too many more scenes like that last one though. A few bits and pieces here and there but nothing major. I don't want lemons to take over the entire story.
> 
> Any bets on what sort of ship they end up with? I've been using the Serenity RPG Cortex Shipyards files for inspiration.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> zāo gāo (crap/nuts/crud)
> 
> hún dàns (bastards)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> nān nān (little darling/baby)
> 
> gāi sǐ (damned)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> gāi sǐ dà fèn (damned human excrement)
> 
> zá wù (junk)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> kǒu yín (oral sex / fellatio)
> 
> wài yīn (vulva)
> 
> táo huā yuán (vagina (lit. "garden of peach blossoms"))
> 
> jiàn guǐ (curse it! / to hell with it!)
> 
> yīn dào (vagina)
> 
> bǎo bèi (treasured object used for "darling," "honey," etc)
> 
> bǎo bǎo (darling / baby)
> 
> jī ba (dick / penis)
> 
> Tā mā de dì yù (fucking hell)
> 
> jīng yè (semen)
> 
> shuài gē (handsome guy / lady-killer / handsome)


	16. Sixteen

**_Riddick_ **

He'd gone to sleep holding Jack, exhausting themselves with sex play was the only way either of them managed to sleep. He hadn't realized just how restrained River and Jayne had been when they were rooming together aboard White Lightning. The scent of honey, plums, clover and brandy was an interesting combination and combined with his keen hearing led him to a very good understanding of just how much River and Jayne's relationship had advanced. Jack had giggled a bit in his arms as she Saw a few things and buried her face in his neck.

"They doin' something we haven't tried yet?" He'd wondered idly, one hand play with Jack's hair. It was thick and wavy, curling down towards her shoulders now and he loved touching it.

"Saw Jayne's head between her thighs," He could smell Jack's blush as she spoke. "And her reciprocating. Much as I'd like to try that...I dunno if I could stay quiet. And screamin' would wake up the entire boarding house."

Riddick had chuckled and kissed her, "Well whenever you want, be happy to try it." He took a deep breath of her scent, catching another whiff of what River and Jayne were doing. "Only ever bein' with whores, that's not something I've done. If you can put up with me figuring out what you like I'm willing."

"Hmm..." She'd all but purred in his arms, "I'd like to see if you enjoy it. He seemed to like pleasuring her like that. And I know River was gettin' off on doin' it to him. I could See it. But not tonight."

"No, gotta get some sleep _Mì Táo_ ," Riddick had wrapped her tighter in his arms, breathed in her scent and finally closed his eyes. "Need to see the other ships tomorrow."

Jack had made a sleepy noise of assent and slowly her body had relaxed against his until she was nearly boneless. He'd waited, held sleep off until she was in dreams, before he finally succumbed. That was a habit he couldn't seem to lose. Since he'd first held her when she slept, he couldn't seem to bring himself to sleep until she was in dreams. Even when he'd thought she was a child, he'd stayed awake until she slept. He'd never bothered to determine the reasons, it just felt right so it was what he'd done, and would still do.

He'd heard River's sleepy purring in Jayne's arms and the bigger man's rumbling in response as the two of them drifted off to sleep finally. It was more comforting than he'd thought it would be. And waking up in the morning to Jack's sweet scent and gentle touch was more than he'd ever dreamed he'd have with her.

It hadn't been a bad way to start the day off and after a quick wash and a hearty breakfast they'd all set out for the shipyards again.

That was where the day had gone downhill some. The Arrowhead courier they'd been strongly considering had been worse off than they'd thought.

"Dunno," Jayne was regarding the nearly bare innards of the ship with a jaundiced eye. "If I'm reading the metal wear right, and I'd like ta think I am, we'd have ta pretty much rebuild from the hull inward."

Riddick had found himself nodding, however reluctantly, "I can smell the rust. Wiring's corroded."

Jack and River had 'encouraged' a panel to come out of the wall and Jack was making disappointed noises. "That ain't all that's corroded." She shook her head. "Even the ductwork is skewed. Whatever hit this ship...it's like they salted the well. Everything is misaligned."

River was visibly disappointed and leaning against her partner sadly. Her scent was rife with worry. She'd been hoping for this ship a lot. He could tell there'd been a few things in her head that would work with the layout of the Arrowhead.

"Well let's look around some more," he shrugged as Jack moved towards him and tugged at her hair gently. "This is one a the farthest yards out. Nothin' says we gotta go back."

"Yeah," Jayne agreed hopefully. "Day ain't even half done. Might find somethin' we like."

River nodded and they'd exited the Arrowhead into the mild day to continue exploring the yard. After a few minutes wait for them to talk it over the salesman hitched up his belt and trousers and shook his head. "Spect you folks were hopin' for somethin' bit more livable?" He wasn't without sympathy but he was keen to make a sale. "Guess you're looking for...smaller ships an' the like?"

"Ain't really set up for a big cargo ship," Jayne had been elected to deal with any salesmen this go round, mostly because Riddick wanted to kill all of them just for the smell of lies and the girls had done it before. "We don't got the equipment for huge loads, nor the manpower. It's just the four of us. Ain't looking to run a passenger ship either. Too much trouble iffen one of 'em tries smugglin'."

"So cargo ship, need a good mule or two," the salesman, who'd called himself Buck, mused thoughtfully. "Guess you folks got some know how when it comes to repairs or you wouldn't be lookin' at wrecks huh?"

"Got our own little genius mechanic," Riddick looked at his girl and couldn't keep the prideful smile off his face.

"And I can handle any cortex work." River added. "Between my sister and I, we can fix near anything."

"Well, what if I was to throw in a coupla mules..." Buck was looking at them curiously. "Mind, they'd need work to run, but I'd throw in the parts for free if you found 'em here. That help ya'll out some with the size a your ships?"

"We could deal with small to medium cargo jobs," River offered to the rest of them.

"Ain't much we don't know 'bout near any kinda job," Jayne added. He looked at salesman Buck. "It'd still depend on the ship an' how much we gotta put into makin' it run. We ain't keen on throwin' good coin after bad."

"Nah," Buck shook his head. "I got a few ships don't need much crew, run on a skeleton really, but they all got good sized cargo spaces." He began to lead them down another row of dilapidated ships. "Some of 'em got passenger quarters but nothin' says that's what you gotta use 'em for. I mean, rooms is rooms right?"

Riddick cast his eye over the ships they were passing, including one decent looking Cygnet-class, until one odd configuration caught his eye. "Mind if I ask what'n the hell that is?" He jerked his head towards a funny looking boat. It had an oddly large front end to it, like pictures he'd seen of a pelican with a pouch full of fish and two semi sleek looking burners.

"Ha! That's my odd duck," Buck shook his head. "Can't think ya'll want that. Don't find many like her. Cargo's 'bout one sixty tons, ship herself's about eight eighty. But she plain ole won't work. Needs more'n a genius, she needs a gorram miracle."

"Hmm..." Riddick nodded and obligingly followed the girls towards an old Caravel and looked at Jayne. The tall man was making listening noises as Buck described the ship. When Jayne glanced towards him Riddick jerked his head back at the 'odd duck' meaningfully.

When the conversation wound down everyone moved along to the next ship, an aught three Firefly considerably more beat up than the one they'd come off of. "Well we know how to make her run," Jack said doubtfully. "Little more cargo space than we'd considered for jobs."

"Better than an aught two," River added with a frown. "Don't like the configuration, two bays...throws off the weight."

"Shit to fly in atmo," Riddick agreed. "Like climbin' with a full pack."

"Just outa curiosity, maybe let's take a look at the boat caught Rick's eye," Jayne suggested diffidently. "Gotta admit to some interest. Never seen one like it."

Riddick had to give the girls credit. They were geniuses at picking up on a bare bones plan and filling in the pieces. Jack immediately pointed out that rare meant parts would be hard to find.

"That's why we didn't like the Tree Frog over at Romanova's," she reminded them. "Alliance ain't exactly a friend to the small business folks."

"Can't hurt to look at it," River reminded her. "Might get ideas of what will work better for us. Still not sure about the Caravel. Ungainly." She wrinkled her nose.

"Man throws in a mule though, cargo could be good." Jayne reminded her with a half-smile.

Riddick watched as the salesman lowered the ramp into the bay and flicked on a light that had very obviously been rigged up from outside power. "How's she fly?" He asked as they followed the man in.

"Well she was set up as an armed courier," Buck gestured towards a couple of patch jobs on the inner hull. "That was about sixty years ago, 'fore that were illegal. I ended up with her when the smuggler who ran her after that got caught. Had to sell her to pay for his legal defense. She's been sitting around here, nigh on fifteen years. Nobody wants her."

Jayne was eying the ladder that led to the upper deck and shook his head. "That thing take our weight?"

"Yeah, she's sturdier than she looks," Buck chuckled and hitched up his belt again. "She'll take mine an' I ain't exactly a sprightly young fella."

The big man shook his head. "I'll look around down here, take a look at the landing gear, ya'll wanna go up."

Riddick nodded and began to climb the ladder, hoisting himself through the opening in the ceiling easily enough and helping the girls, not that they needed it. Buck huffed and puffed and followed them up, grateful for the hand Riddick gave him. "Much obliged," He thanked the convict cheerfully. "Steps up to the bridge are good an' sturdy. Bridge itself ain't much, needs work. Had some gorram birds in the wiring and they made a mess outa it."

Riddick blinked at the huge windows and view from the bridge as he opened the door. It was set up for two people, no navigation, but it would be easy enough for Jack and River to fix so that one person could fly and the other could shoot if need be. "How about airlocks?" He threw the question over his shoulder as he crouched to examine the underside of the control panels and saw a hatch leading downwards.

"One on the underside of the hull, right beneath where you're squattin'." Buck indicated the hatch. "Goes down to the innards, and what woulda been the ordnance machinery and to an escape pod with an airlock." He motioned behind him. "Got one in the passage to the engine room, can lock that off so the engine room is shut out, two good doors there. Need to get better seals on 'em though."

"Galley needs a lotta work." River's voice called from the main room.

"So does the head." Jack's tone was more than slightly disgusted. "Big enough to hold Jayne though."

"Better check out the engine room." Riddick called back. "Bridge looks..." He shook his head as he headed back out to check out the other rooms. They were all a decent size. Space enough for everyone without tripping over each other. And the walls were good and thick. One plus to a ship that once had ordnance. If you had guns you pretty much figured on bein' shot at, so everything had to be sturdy. That boded well for privacy.

River looked up at the same time as Riddick, to the sounds of a thump from the outer hull. "Jayne cannot stand to be idle." She chuckled and opened the door of a room next to the head. "Probably testing the outer hull."

Riddick looked around thoughtfully, "Well she's different."

"She's a wreck," Jack told him in a flat voice. "The engine room is a bigger disaster than the galley or the head."

"Well it was a thought...not much a one but figured it couldn't hurt to look." Riddick shrugged and began to make his way back down the ladder. Helping the girls down, one by one, and then keeping the ladder steady for Buck gave him plenty of time to think over the possibilities for the ship.

Jayne was poking around the hold, using a length of wood to push at the ceiling and walls. "Hull is sound at least." He sounded as if that was the only thing he hadn't found wrong with the boat.

"Now she's not that bad," Buck felt compelled to defend the old ship. "Get her runnin' again and you'd get seven clicks at hard burn, five at cruisin' speed."

"Kinda slow for such a little boat ain't it?" Jayne didn't sound impressed. "An' if they don't make 'em like this anymore, they don't make parts, like Jack said. An' we'd stand out in a crowd. That ain't always a good thing."

"Well that's the beauty part," Buck grinned. "She ain't like the Tree Frog. Mosta her parts are standard. An' I'll give you a deal on any you find in the yard. Plus I'll throw in a coupla mules... you take your choice of a loadin' mule and a cargo mule. Like I said before, parts for the mules is free if you find 'em here."

Jack was making a thoughtful noise in her throat as she looked around the bay area. "Guess we could take a look at what's available. See what kinda deal we could make."

River was more to the point. "How much, as she is right now?"

"Well, bein' that she don't need no hull work, just some plexi for windows on the bridge, I can't go lower'n one thousand four hundred twenty eight." Buck was rubbing his chin, an obvious tell and Riddick caught River's steel scent along with Jack's surge of interest.

Jayne was frowning now and rubbing one hand back and forth on his neck, "Maybe we better pass then... we ain't even got a place to fix her up. Might could find a decent ship, wouldn't take so much work, an' then we wouldn't have to worry 'bout a berth for her."

"Well I could let ya have the yard space for free, specially if you was gonna buy parts here." Buck was scenting a potential sale and Riddick had to give him credit for making concessions.

"Long ways out," Jack was looking around the yard. It was a big yard, of necessity shipyards had to be, but it was kilometers beyond the edge of town. "Be kinda a hike to come out every day, work on the boat and go back to sleep."

Riddick had been considering that too. "Plus we were thinkin' we'd pick up work, part time at least, to help pay for parts." He reminded her. "Ain't a lotta call for folks like us out here."

"Well just what is it that you folks are qualified to do?" Now they really had Buck interested. "Already know you've got a mechanic worth a few bells an' whistles." He nodded at Jack with a smile.

Jayne chuckled a bit and shrugged, "Gimme a weldin' torch an' some tools, I can fix damn near anythin'. I'm mostly muscle for our ladies here, helpin' out where I'm needed. Was thinkin' I'd work the docks in Newhouse and build up a little stake."

"I'm good at programming, husking," River smiled. "Good at any sort of cortex work, experience building and programming." She patted her ever present satchel. "Thought I'd hire out as a freelancer, any programming work folks needed, when we weren't working on getting our boat in shape."

"Rick's our pilot, though he's like Jayne, give him half a chance and there's nothin' he cain't do," Jack grinned. "Tell the truth we're all like that to a point. Used to pullin' together and gettin' the job done."

"Well, don't get a lotta call for cortex work, or huskin' out here," Buck was thinking. "But we sure could use folks who can fix things. Got a dozen different types a mules, machinery and boats need some work to get 'em goin'. Can't seem to keep a mechanic or pilots."

* * *

 

_**Jack** _

Buck wasn't a stupid man, he'd figured they wanted something good and reliable once they got it running. He hadn't quite cottoned to the fact that they all wanted the 'odd duck' badly. She was getting images, the four of them, working on the boat, the way they could set up the cargo space, the rooms, what they could do with it.

What was funny was watching River and Jayne work the salesman. Jayne would sound semi optimistic and River would point out just how dilapidated the insides of the ship were. River might sound as if she was considering the boat and Jayne would comment on how something bigger would be more lucrative in the long run. Riddick would throw in comments here and there about a smaller ship versus a larger one and how sure were they about the sorta jobs they wanted to be taking.

By the time they were done, poor old Buck had knocked his price down four thousand credits and given them free yard space along with a discount on parts, provided they spent six months at the yard working part time on other ships and the mules. River had won them a further discount by offering to update their inventory system and Buck had to check with his boss but Jack's Sight had seen the owner jumping at the chance to update his cortex programs.

"Well then, we find a place for you folks to stay 'round here an' I'd say we've got a deal." Buck was looking very pleased, as if he'd gotten the better end of the bargain. Meanwhile River and Jack exchanged conspiratorial glances and suggested that they could make camp next to the ship and use the yards facilities.

The owner, Barton, first name unknown, had come into the conversation at that point and shook his head. "Got an old barracks next to the yard, back when Alliance decided to post Purplebellies here for 'security' durin' the war. Worried the Independents would scoop up ships and arm 'em." He pointed at a building with a corrugated tin roof and slightly crooked storm shutters. "Iffen someone'll gimme a hand turning the power on we can let ya'll stay there. Plenty of space an' it's got a kitchen and a bath on the first floor. I'll get one a my kids to help clean the place out, make it livable."

"Might wanna keep it that way after we're gone," Jack suggested. "Folks might buy from ya more if they knew they could stay nearby to work on the ships."

"It's definitely a thought." Barton admitted, leading them towards the barracks. Jack smiled to herself as he pointed out where things were in the yard and talked about the tools available and where they might best find parts for the Duck. He was an interesting man, not huge like Jayne, a bit shorter than Riddick and a fighter's build. He had a face full of character with a nose that suggested he'd seen more than his share of personal combat and eyes as bright a blue as Jayne's.

"Happy to fix up the place a bit," River offered quietly. "Huskin's brain work, body needs manual labor in order to function optimally." Barton's face took on the peculiar expression of someone who thinks he took her meaning but wasn't for sure about it.

Jayne chuckled, accustomed to that expression. "Woman means she's gotta move around some, cain't sit on her ass the whole day."

Barton's laugh was a half snort of appreciation along with a lightening quick grin. "Thought that might be it but didn't wanna mistake her." He gave River a wickedly appreciative look. "And if your man here wasn't big enough to tear me into bitty pieces I'd try to say somethin' flatterin' about that pretty voice and core accent what might encourage you to talk to me more."

River's giggle was more shy than Jack had ever heard and the Reader shook her head. "Mr. Barton is kind to say so. Not accustomed to flirtations except with my Jayne. Soul mate."

"Kinda thought so," Buck put in with a smile at the other couple. "You two got the air of childhood sweethearts even bein' from obviously different parts of the 'verse. Powerful rare, an' good to see."

Jack had the rare occasion to see Jayne turn a bit pink with embarrassed pleasure as the big man tugged River closer against his side. Barton chuckled, "Guess it'd be a helluva tale to hear how you two met." He led them to a junction box and opened it up to flip a few switches while he spoke. "Don't guess the lady's parents were all too thrilled with your relationship."

"One could say not." River nodded and Jack heard her friend's wariness clear as day. Barton could be making conversation or he could be laying ground for a blackmail scheme.

Barton, however, didn't seem to be all that concerned about River's slightly cooler tone. "Eh, well, parents don't always know best. M'wife, she's offa Persephone, sweeter woman you'll never meet, her parents hated me six ways from Sunday an' added another two on just for the sabbath. Real...high falutin' folks."

Buck chuckled and poked his boss, "May's well tell 'em boss. They already agreed to the deal."

The shorter man's cheeks turned a bit ruddy, "Ah, well, see... m'wife, now an' then, she gets a little starved for polite conversation. Just likes to see other folks. She's raised in a fair stiflin' atmosphere. So part a why I's so accomodatin' 'bout the barracks'd be so she'd have some folks to talk to 'sides me, Buck an' the kids."

Jack couldn't help it. She started giggling. "You coulda said." She shook her head. "You had my sister all worried you's gonna worm her last name outa her an' call her folks."

The look of surprise on Barton's face was comical. "Now why'd a body wanna go an' do somethin' stupid like that?" He looked at Buck whose expression was equally confused. "Just made us a sweet deal, cortex upgrades, repairs, six months' worth a company... Callin' your folks would just mess that up."

Riddick's rumbling voice was amused but still as menacing as he could make it. "Ain't a lotta folks keep their bargains nowadays." He leaned against the wall of the barracks and folded his arms. "River's a good girl. An' we been keepin' a low profile for a reason."

"Got folks out lookin' for her huh?" Buck didn't like that at all if his moue of distaste was any indication. "Well you're far out from town here. An' anyone comes snoopin' around lookin' for a little core woman, Mrs. Barton'll be happy to trot out an' hoodwink 'em. Kinda game she'd get a kick outa playin' on folks should keep their noses in their own business."

Jack grinned as Barton nodded, the shorter man's grin was a thing of evil beauty, as if he was just anticipatin' all the mischief he and his wife could do to folks snoopin' around for River.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So we don't have Avengers per se, but I liked the idea of their normal selves being part of the 'verse. Not superheroes, just decent folk. And it looks like our crew has found a ship. Sorry this is a bit shorter than last time. This just seemed like a good stopping point.
> 
> Oh, for a general layout of the ship go to this link:   
> http://serenityrpg.wdfiles.com/local--files/cortex-shipyards-volume-1/Cortex%20Shipyards%2C%20Volume%201.pdf
> 
> And look for Cutter's Goose. That's what I had in mind for the ship they buy.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Mì Táo (honey peach)


	17. Seventeen

_**Jayne** _

He'd forgotten what it was like to be dirtside for an extended period of time. Life aboard a ship like Serenity was mind numbingly boring sometimes with moments of sheer terror followed by periods of normalcy that never lasted long. White Lightning had been different simply because there was a routine followed every day without much variation. But being on planet, there was the big job to do, fixing up the boat, and then the little things that needed doing along with smallish regular jobs to bring in extra coin. It was strange to not be breathing recycled air and to enjoy the luxury of having showers longer than ten minutes since water wasn't at a premium.

Granted there was enough dust that he could shake out his coat and create a small mountain, and it got everywhere. And the weather was bone chilling if you had to be out in it for extended periods of time. But beyond the yard there was open space as far as the eye could see in three directions.

"He enjoys planet life when there is work and coin to be had," River commented as she sat beside him on the steps.

"Yeah, been doin' a little hunting here and there, figured what we couldn't use I could trade, add to our stake." Jayne wrapped his arm around her and enjoyed the way her warm slim body felt pressed to his side.

"Worried," She said quietly and it took him a moment to realize she was referring to his metal state and her own.

"Been tryin' not to," He shrugged. "Ain't rightly nothin' we can do about it."

"Serenity tries to find us." River murmured, "Could stumble across us by sheer dumb luck. Needing parts."

"It's a worry," Jayne sighed and cuddled her closer.

"Jack's got a few more tweaks to make to the engine, and then we're good to go," Riddick spoke from behind them. Jayne planted himself firmly so he wouldn't start at the sound of the other man's voice out of nowhere. Riddick thought sneaking up on folks was a great joke if he could make 'em jump.

"Gotta get supplies, housewares an' such, and bedding," Jayne reminded him.

"Yeah, Jack an' River been makin' a list," Riddick moved past them to stare out at the slowly darkening sky. "Figured on picking it up in town if we couldn't get it delivered out to the yard."

"Air the ship out and do a few more tests," River murmured. "Make sure all equipment is in working order."

"Got a line on a job for ya," Barton came walking towards them out of the shadowy yard. "Friend of mine's got some cargo, needs to be moved from Beylix to Greenleaf. 'Bout a dozen crates, 'nough to fit in the hold with enough room for a walkway back to those passenger quarters ya'll put in."

That had been a source of contention amongst them for a couple of months. River had insisted that they would come in handy and should be put in while they were getting the ship fixed up. A small head tucked under the stairs, a short series of rooms with locking doors and they were equipped for passengers. Jayne hadn't seen the harm in it but Riddick and Jack had come down firmly on the 'not a good idea' side of the argument. He'd done his best to let River convince them but she hadn't been making much headway. It wasn't until he'd pointed out that Serenity had taken passengers, now and then, and managed to squeak by profit with room to sneeze and not much else that they started to relent.

"We want to carry folks around, we'll have the space for 'em an' not on our private deck. An' if we don't, then no harm, can store stuff in the rooms with folding bunks. But better to have 'em an' not need 'em than the other way around." He'd shrugged, "There's folk who'll pay a good price to not have their ident scanned when they're traveling. If we're sayin' it's for short hops, dry rations only, an' they ain't allowed on the upper deck we'd be safe enough."

That had settled it but Jack and Riddick had been adamant that they were bare bones cabins and could be dismantled if they got an especially large and lucrative cargo.

River had given in on that point. So the back wall of the cargo bay boasted two levels of dorms similar to Serenity's, all out of steel framed plasti, easily unbolted and with some work, flattened against the hull. The wall mounted bunks were similar, foam mattresses and pillows that folded down Murphy style against the walls. The head was the only thing that was immobile but the space behind the stairs wasn't much good for storing cargo anyway. The space above it between the ceiling and the upper deck served as storage for the folded up bunks and bedding when the dorms weren't in use.

"Sounds like a good idea," Jayne exchanged looks with the rest of the crew and nodded. "They say how fast it needs to be there?"

"Any time under a week'd be best," Barton handed them a portable data pad. "Here're the particulars."

Jayne handed the pad to River who scanned it and gave it to Jack, who shared it with Riddick. "Looks very doable," Riddick commented. "We've got to lay in supplies and double check a few things but we should be ready to go in a day or so. Less if the supplies can get delivered here."

"I'll put in a call," Barton nodded. "Lasky over at the store gets a lot of business from our pals at the port. He'll send a kid out with your goods in the morning or I'll know why."

"That happens we can be ready ta take on cargo by tomorrow night or the next mornin'," Jayne did some math in his head and looked at the other three for confirmation, "That about right?"

"Sounds right," Jack nodded with a smile. She'd filled out quite a bit, a curvy armful of girl that looked perfect snugged up next to Riddick.

"I'll let him know then, he'll bring it by sometime tomorrow." Barton half smiled, "Hate to see you go but I guess you can't stay at the yard forever."

"Can still drop you a line now and then, let you know what we're gettin' up to," Jack smiled wider.

"I'd appreciate that, and so would Laura," Barton's smile widened to a grin. "Speakin' of, I'd better get back in. Talk to ya'll tomorra."

The quiet chorus of good nights followed him into the darkness and Jayne stood. "Guess we'd better head in ourselves. Got plenty of work in the mornin' if we're gonna head out by this time tomorrow."

River stood as well, her hand slipping into his, "It will be good to get out into the black again."

"Gettin' itchy feet?" Jack grinned at her.

"More…itching on the back of my neck," River admitted and Jayne nodded along with her.

"Been in one place too long," He rubbed the back of his neck while his arm snaked around River's waist and pulled her closer. "Longer we're here the more likely it is we're found."

"Always found blood discourages folks from followin' me," Riddick smirked.

"Might come to that," River looked up at the stars with a cool gaze and Jayne looked down at her.

"If it does, we'll handle it," He bent and kissed the top of her head. "Let's get some sleep."

"Big day tomorrow," She smiled at him and allowed herself to be led back to the bunkhouse.

* * *

 

Dawn came early on Beylix, Jayne found that one of the more irritating things about being dirtside. Ship time was standardized nights and days. Planets had variable days according to the seasons. And as the weather cooled the days grew shorter. They were approaching the end of the cold season and the sun was rising earlier and earlier. It made for an early and long day and while they got a lot of work done, it was exhausting too.

The kid came with their goods not long after dawn. As the days heated up, and they barely got spring and fall here so the days heated up fast, more folks did work in the wee hours of the morning or later in the evening. Kept engines from overheating and folks from keeling over with heatstroke. He figured it'd take them four months in the Black to get used to standardized days and nights again.

Barton came out to talk with the kid while Jayne and Riddick got the mule unloaded. On one of their last return trips to the mule Barton motioned them over. "Bryan here's got some news might interest ya," He gave them a meaningful look and Jayne stiffened.

"Yeah?" Riddick did casual interest very well and Jayne ambled over along with him as if curiosity was their only motivation.

Barton nodded to the kid and the boy's freckled face lit up. "My pa was down at the docks for a delivery an' he's seen one o' them Fireflys there. He's sayin' they're talkin' 'bout takin' on a job from here ta Greenleaf. They's askin' around 'bout a pretty girl. Talks Core an' real elergant. Sayin' she's run off with a fella's no good for her an' she ain't no bigger'n me." Bryan chuckled, "My pa, he told 'em, only Core lady we got is Mrs. Barton an' she ain't a girl no more, not with three kids."

Jayne looked over at Riddick and then back at the kid, "Yer pa, he say anythin' 'bout the crew? They look like they can handle themselves?"

"Uh huh," The boy nodded eagerly. "He's sayin' they're Browncoats. An' that means they're honest folks like us."

"Huh," Riddick looked at Barton. "Wouldn't be the same cargo we were s'posed to move for your friend would it?"

"Better not be," Barton returned with a hard look in his eyes but his tone was easy. "Bryan, your pa gets any more news 'bout that ship I'd be interested to hear it. You tell him to give me a wave. I got parts here would work for a Firefly."

Jayne took a deep breath and reminded himself not to throttle the man in front of witnesses. Bryan climbed back onto his mule and with a happy whoop of enthusiasm took off leaving nothing but dust.

Barton waved the dust, and some oil smoke, away and shook his head, "I'll get on the wave to my friend. Doubt he'd pull the job out from under ya but it's best to be sure."

"And tellin' the kid to send them folks this way?" Jayne eyed him.

"Best way to keep folks away," Barton grinned. "Bryan'll talk us up an' say how we got parts. An' them folks'll drag their feet comin' here thinkin' they're gonna get a hard sell. By the time they get here, you an' the cargo'll be long gone."

Jayne shook his head and relaxed slightly, "Let's hope that's how it works out." He looked at Riddick. "Think we'd better get loaded up quick as we can."

"Put it all out of the way and get that cargo aboard, assuming we've still got cargo," Riddick agreed.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Barton shook his head. "I'll go on an' tell Carter that you're set to take off. He'll have it over here faster'n you can spit." He tilted his head thoughtfully, "Sounds like the girl's parents hired some folks to find her."

"Her brother sails with my old crew," Jayne decided a truth, if not the full truth, was better than a lie. "That's how River and I met."

Barton's eyes cleared and he nodded, "That explains a lot. Core boys can get away with a bit of naughty living before they settle down. But they're all sorts of hypocritical about the girls." He headed into the office while Jayne and Riddick picked up the last of the crates and hustled them onto the boat.

* * *

 

_**River** _

Jayne's worry and Riddick's determination were loud enough to reach her halfway across the planet let alone the shipyard. "Serenity is here," She murmured and hurried back to the engine room. "Jack."

Her sister turned, wiping her hands on a rag and frowned as she Saw what was happening, "Well _cào dàn_." She shook her head. "Good thing we were planning on going today anyhow. We're all set here."

"Systems are go," River nodded. "Men have loaded the supplies into the bay. Must get them out of the way of the cargo."

"Well let's get on that, we can manage a crate between the two of us," Jack agreed and the two of them hurried down to the bay. "Guess it's good that we didn't have anyone wanting to book passage this time around."

"Fortunate, if not lucrative," The Reader commented as they hefted one crate between them and began to carry it up the stairs. They'd come back down for a second when Riddick and Jayne entered the cargo bay. Now that she was listening for it, she could hear the thoughts of Serenity's crew. They'd set down for work, and to scrounge for cheap parts, but everywhere they made landfall they looked for her. Mal's mind was set on finding her. She wondered if he ever compared his actions to that of the Operative or Parliament. Mal and Simon were hunting her the same way the Alliance had before Miranda.

"You two go on and get everything warmed up," Riddick made a shooing motion away from the crates with his hands. "Me an' Jayne'll get these up to the galley."

"On it," Jack turned and ran for the engine room while River hurried to the bridge. She wasn't the pilot Riddick and Wash were but she was a decent co-pilot and she could get the ignition sequence started without him watching.

The wave that came through had the Barton's office ident on it and she hit the open channel button, " _Nǐ hǎo_ ," She greeted Mr. Barton.

"Hey there," Barton smiled. "Just wanted to let you know, Carter's on his way with the crates. He's got a fella with him, blue glasses, trunk and a really new gun and holster. Wants to know if the man can pay for a ride to Greenleaf since you're going anyway."

"All passengers must pass inspection with my Jayne and Rick," She reminded him.

"Yeah, that's what I told him, made sure he understood, no guarantee that him showin' up means he's got a ride," Barton nodded. "Just wanted to give you the heads up is all."

" _Yǒu láo_ ," She smiled. "Will inform my partners."

"Don't be a stranger now," He smiled and cut the wave.

River shook her head and continued to get the ship set for launch, grateful that they'd had the presence of mind to take it for a short flight in the atmosphere so they at least knew for certain that everything worked. Riddick came onto the bridge as she was finalizing the sequence and nodded as he looked over her work. "Looks good. Seems like we're gonna be buggin' out in a hurry."

"What else is new," River laughed. "Carter is bringing a potential passenger. Might want to stand with Jayne when he and the cargo arrive, give him the big scary man look."

"Yeah that's always fun," He chuckled. "You've got everything here in hand, keep goin' with it and I'll be up after we get the cargo, and maybe the passenger, in the bay."

River nods casting her mind outward, following the trail of Barton's thoughts and catching the mind of his friend Carter. "Arrival will occur in twenty minutes… the possible passenger is a Core man, on the run. Sexed someone who he didn't know was married and now the spouse hunts him. Knows if he gets to Greenleaf he's safe. Chemist who can work for a pharmaceutical company. Valuable enough for protection."

"Think he'll recognize you at all?" Riddick paused in the doorway.

She cast a laughing look at him over her shoulder, "Core is vast. She is not terribly well known. And has not been seen since she was fourteen years old."

"Right," He shook his head and headed down to the cargo bay again. Jayne was busy making sure the mule wasn't going to give them trouble and worrying. He would worry until they were off the planet.

River took a deep breath and focused on her work. It wasn't strictly necessary to use even half of her brainpower but it was a good distraction. Once they were in the Black they could get the beds made up in the bunks.

She'd invested every copper she had and used the profits to fit the boat out so they could be comfortable. A room that was originally for passengers had been turned into a large head, with a double shower and a tub for when they were docked and water was free. She'd made sure the shower was big enough that Jayne would be comfortable and wouldn't have to duck his head overmuch to wash his hair.

The other thing that she and Jack had insisted upon was sound proofing around the bunks. The two of them had enough to deal with, Seeing and Reading what was going on with each other. Neither of them wanted to hear with their ears as well as their brains. When they'd explained it to their men in that fashion Riddick had gotten a thoughtful look in his face and gone to research brands of sound proofing. He'd come back later with the name of the one he wanted them to use. "You two got your brains, I got my senses. Figure if we're gonna do it anyway, let's do it right, so I ain't hearin' Jayne makin' you scream his name." He looked at River pointedly and she'd blushed.

Jayne had just laughed and hugged her, pointing out that his ears were nearly as good as Riddick's. Jack hadn't quite blushed but she'd rubbed her cheeks as if she thought she might and Riddick had given that rusty chuckle of his. "So you see my point."

In order to test the soundproofing she and Jack had stood in their respective bunks and shrieked as loudly as they could manage. Even Riddick couldn't hear them. Which boded well for their future privacy. Jayne's sense of smell was almost as refined as Riddick's and between the two males there was very little that was hidden for long. She and Jack had learned to control what they Saw or Read out of necessity but the men couldn't just turn off their senses.

Once that had been done they'd fitted out the bunks and galley and opened up the last passenger room to make a work out space with a hidden door to their armory. Jayne had been in charge of that, even Riddick conceded that Jayne had the most practical knowledge on every kind of weapon. They hadn't been able to allocate much space for sparring or her dancing unless they used the lower deck. Having the cargo space filled with cargo made that unlikely. But Jayne had the idea of making sure everything locked down or moved out of the way so they could use the common space of the upper deck. It was small but suited their purposes.

There had been other concerns as well. Originally the stairs from the cargo deck to the upper deck were open for anyone to come and go. Riddick had taken one look at that set up and put his foot down. Every sensitive area of the ship should have a door that sealed shut and locked. She'd been able to Read that it would be far too easy for someone to mount the stairs and invade the private quarters if there wasn't a locking door at the top of them. They didn't have to keep it shut if it was only the four of them on the ship, but better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

Now on their maiden voyage Riddick's concerns were coming to fruition. River shook her head and ran through the preflight checks as she listened to the men. Carter was being greeted and their potential passenger introduced. Jayne was using the loading mule to move the crates into the bay while Riddick talked with the passenger. The man was painfully nervous, twitchy and looking over his shoulder, trusting Carter but no one else, not without cause.

Jack came up the short flight of steps to the bridge and leaned against the door, "Rick an' Jayne are doing the big scary men act." She chuckled. "Fella seems nervous enough. Pretty though, for a guy."

River looked up and blinked as she Read Jack's sight, then laughed as she realized who they had down in the bay, "Good reason to be. Afraid they will think he is propositioning them if he is polite, but doesn't do rude very well."

"So he's sly?" Jack grinned.

"Sly and was sleeping with the husband, not the wife. Caught in the act and accused of seduction falsely," River grinned. "Nice man, but terrible judge of character."

"Think we oughta go down and set him at ease?" Jack wondered and River shook her head.

"Will open a comm and let them know all is well. Ready for takeoff once the cargo is secured." She began to key in a course to Greenleaf at a good medium burn, "If we go faster than Serenity normally travels we will avoid them. Serenity goes as slow as she dares to in order to complete the job on time. Easy languorous journey."

"Got the masks set up with the alternate captains," Jack grinned as she watched River work.

"And several others, just in case," River smirked back at her. "Daffy Duck, Hawkeye and Enterprise. Lift off, log out as Clear Call, switch our ident at the next comm buoy."

"Just like White Lightning," The green eyed girl nodded her understanding. "Rick'll like that."

"Like anything that hides who we are," Riddick commented as he mounted the stairs. "We all set?"

"Ready to go," River nodded. "Passenger settled?"

"Yeah he's all tucked in," Riddick made a face and she grinned. "Yeah okay, so he paid a ton of money to not be ID'd and he don't mind dry rations so long as there's 'ships facilities' where he can wash up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Sorry, I know there were some folks who were interested in meeting Mrs. Barton, but she's a woman of mystery still. On the other hand, Serenity seems to have caught up with them, or at least they're closer than they have been since Persephone.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> cào dàn (fuck)
> 
> Nǐ hǎo (Hello! / Hi! / How are you?)
> 
> Yǒu láo ((polite) thank you for your trouble - used when asking a favor or after having received one)


	18. Eighteen

**_Riddick_ **

It wasn’t that he minded River being right. Hell he’d be happy being wrong about how much trouble people i.e. passengers could be. But she and Jayne had gone into some detail about how she and her brother had ended up on _Serenity_. And that boat had no small amount of problems as a result.

Of course, from what they said about Reynolds the man brought half his problems on himself. Jayne had shaken his head over Mal’s mercurial nature. That was one of the biggest reasons Badger had found it so amusing to help River and Jayne, Mal had made life difficult for the crime-boss more than once. Of course, the other reason was his soft spot for River and her genius husking skills but that was hardly surprising.

Getting the slender man settled into a bunk wasn’t any hardship, “We’ll get you an arrival time soon as we get a course set.” He put the man’s trunk down on the floor and ignored the wide eyes behind tinted specs. “Shouldn’t take long.”

“Th-Thank you,” The blond core fellow wasn’t snooty. But he was spooked something awful.

Jayne leaned against the sliding door of the bunk and put several MREs on the fold down desk, “Head is under the stairs, just to your left. You need anything you can use the comm link at the bottom of the stairs to call up.”

The man’s eyes widened but he nodded his understanding, “You aren’t taking any other passengers?”

Riddick shook his head, “Nope. Maiden voyage, you’re the only one wants to risk it.” He patted the wall, “We got her fixed up good but ain’t a lotta call for traveling ‘tween Beylix and Greenleaf.” He turned to go and Jayne nodded to him.

“Be up in a bit, cargo’s strapped down, just wanna check the mule and we’re good to go,” The man explained before turning back to the passenger. Riddick heard Jayne explaining in a not unkind voice, “We got women to protect an’ so you don’t wanna test our patience. You need somethin’, you use the comm link. Don’t go up them stairs and try the door.”

“Of-of course not,” The man stammered. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“That’s fine then,” Jayne’s voice had a smile. “My woman made sure there’s towels in the head an’ anything else you’d need. So you relax.”

Riddick keyed open the security door and caught Jack around the waist as she trotted down the stairs from the bridge. “Hey _Mì Táo_ ,” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Headed to the engine room?”

“Yeah, should be fine but just in case,” Jack hugged him tightly for a moment and he savored the feel of her against him. His, safe and protected and strong, and with him.

“We’re really doin’ this,” He shouldn’t find it hard to believe, they’d worked hard enough the past six months to make it happen. “Our own boat.”

Jack grinned up at him, “I know! It’s unreal isn’t it?”

“A bit,” He gave her another squeeze. “Guess it’ll feel real enough once we’re out in the Black.” Her smile was infectious, and he set her down with a little pat on the ass. “Go on, let’s get this duck in the air.”

“Gonna be fun,” She predicted and headed off to her domain while he mounted the steps to the bridge. He could hear Jayne making his way to the upper deck, his steps light on the stairs and guessed that the mule was secured.

“How’re we doin’ up here,” He asked and River looked up at him with a happy smile.

“Preflight checks are in the green. Charted a course at medium burn for him to look over,” She reported almost spinning in the co-pilot’s chair. “Passenger is a nice man. Not a danger to us.”

“Yeah he didn’t smell wrong or anything,” Riddick nodded and looked over his shoulder as Jayne shut the door to the upper deck behind him and checked the lock. “Figure to leave the bridge door open, since there ain’t much room for your man up here.”

“Tight squeeze,” River nodded and he chuckled over the mischief in her scent.

“Well here we go,” He began to run through his own checklist, calling out the numbers and getting confirmed responses. The boat shivered slightly as she was asked to leave the ground for only the second time in years as if in trepidation but steadied as the thrusters engaged fully. River waved happily to someone out in the yard and he guessed the Bartons had come to see them off.

A minute later and they were in the upper atmosphere and out into the Black, nothing but the silence of space and stars around them and the curve of the planet below. River looked out into the Black and smiled. She had such an air of contentment about her, he wondered how hard it had been on she and Jayne, to be earthbound for a while.

“Not very hard,” She answered his thought. “Employment makes the time pass quickly. And so long as they have each other, all else is extraneous.”

He nodded his understanding, “You wanna try the autopilot once we’re halfway out?”

“Good idea; make sure there are no bugs to work out,” River agreed. That was the one thing that they’d had to build from scratch. The boat didn’t have any autopilot to speak of and barely any scanners. A proximity alarm was the only concession to security and they’d all agreed they needed a lot more than that.

If River hadn’t been a cortex genius they’d still be making do, but between she and Jack, they’d built a system. River had programmed it to practically jump through hoops, and then he and Jayne had gotten it up to the bridge. It wasn’t large, but the casing of the cortex was awkward to carry and it was damn heavy. It sat in the area next to the hatch leading to the gun ports and forward escape pods, out of the way but handy in case of repairs.

Riddick glanced at his little co-pilot and wondered again just how it was that she and Jack could act so normally. You’d never know to look at them that the two women had been experimented on, tortured, abused and molested in a place that was supposed to provide them with an education.

It had taken a month after they’d settled at Barton’s shipyard for the women to feel safe enough to discuss the Academy. It was a story Jayne had heard before, from River’s brother and from River once she’d been coherent (and sane) enough to tell it. Simon hadn’t known the half of what had gone on at that place. Guards that took advantage of the fact that they had power over the students and did as they pleased, up to a certain limit. And that limit only stopped further abuse because the students couldn’t be so traumatized that they were unable to function as intended.

He’d had to get up and leave after hearing about the orderly and guards that had groped and fondled Jack and Jayne’s hands had been clenched in white knuckled fists with his anger. Jayne and River had gotten to a couple of them, and killed them, very painfully. But there were others. He and Jayne had exchanged grim looks and he knew they were in agreement. Anyone connected to the Academy would have to die. As slowly and painfully as they could manage.

Jack, of the two of them, had been the lucky one. The surgeries they’d done on River to strip her amygdale hadn’t been inflicted upon her. Not to the same extent at least. Jack had neural scarring, but it was mild in comparison. Apparently her Sight had been powerful enough that they’d held off further surgeries rather than jeopardize the progress they’d made. It explained why Jack had an easier time talking than River.

But, as Jack had explained, her brain didn’t work like River’s did. Jack was brilliant, gifted, a genius with machines to rival anyone else in the ‘verse. But as she explained it, she was specialized. Her intelligence could be measured, inaccurately perhaps but it was measurable. No one had been able to measure River’s IQ. And because of that, the scientists had believed her abilities would be unlimited as well.

“Nothing she can’t learn, given time and information,” River had explained quietly. “Jack is talented with painting, drawing, very artistic. And brilliant with any machine. Give the girl time and she could do the same.”

“You can learn anything, so they wanted you to be able to do anything,” Riddick had been thinking aloud but River had nodded.

“Genius doesn’t make me talented though,” She shook her head. “Jack and Kaylee, they understand machines, engines, it just comes to them. You and Wash fly and Jayne tracks, you are gifted. Like Simon is a gifted surgeon. Mal is a leader. Talent, gifts… cannot be duplicated by mere intelligence.”

“You’re a dancer,” Jack had spoken up loyally. “You’re a genius in combat and nobody can touch you for huskin’ a cortex.”

“My gifts,” River nodded. She shrugged, “I can copy, but I can’t create, except in specific areas.”

Riddick had nodded his understanding. “Then that’s next on our list. We get the boat up and running, we get jobs, and we hunt these fuckers down and gut them.” No one had raised any objections to that list of priorities.

* * *

 

He didn’t mind flying the ship on manual for a while. A boat they’d fixed up as their own was a pleasure to fly, unlike some of the crates he’d had to steal in order to escape one slam or another. Everything was within easy reach. Including the weapons controls.

That had nearly started another argument. The law of the Alliance was very clear about nonfederal or purplebelly boats carrying arms. And Riddick was just as adamant that they have means to defend themselves against Reavers or pirates. The thought had occurred to him that had _Serenity_ been armed their jobs might have gone a lot smoother. Or at least been less dangerous.

“I ain’t sayin’ the boat should bristle with weaponry,” He’d argued. “But I’d feel a lot better sailing the Rim and beyond if we could defend ourselves.”

Jayne, surprisingly enough, had come down on the ‘no guns’ side of the argument, but not because he thought it was a bad idea. “I’ve seen what happens to the ship and crew when the Alliance decides they’ve broken the law. They’ll put us somewhere makes the slams you’ve been in look like country clubs. They’ll take the boat, all our profits, everything.”

River had been studying him thoughtfully and finally nodded slowly. “She was set up as an armed ship during the war.” The Reader said in deliberate tones. “If we want to arm her, we can’t do it in the same manner. It would be the first place the Alliance would look. And they would look. They’re familiar with every way the Independents used to turn ships into fighters.”

“So we’d have to come up with a way to put guns on the ship that’s completely new,” Jack had gotten River’s point quicker than he or Jayne.

“ _Dì yù_ , if you can get guns on her that the Feds won’t find than I’m all for it,” Jayne capitulated. “But that lets out any guns concealed under the lower deck to shoot out of the bay doors.”

“Removes the possibility of using established gun ports as well,” River agreed with a nod. She’d looked at Riddick, “If you can find a way to arm us without tripping the trap then we’ll make it work.”

He hadn’t thought at his age that he’d be studying ships designs and history, but that’s what he ended up doing. If Jack wasn’t a mechanical genius they’d never have been able to pull it off. His idea had even surprised River.

“No one’s ever put guns around the engines or thrusters,” He told them over dinner one evening. “If we can figure a way to add them without throwing off the engines it’d be so unexpected no one would ever think to look there.”

He’d watched River’s eyes go vague as she did some mental checking and smiled, “He is correct.” She looked at Jack, “Armaments would need to turn with the fans, in the manner of a twentieth century gatling gun.”

Jayne’s eyes had lit up and he’d grinned outright, “Those were sweet.” He’d grabbed a piece of scrap paper and sketched out one of the older versions right there. “Have to be able to operate it with or without atmosphere, but I can make you the barrels with rifling if you can get it to work.”

The guns had taken them two months longer than they’d anticipated. And three weeks of that was ensuring they blended well into the ship’s overall design, the barrels hidden behind the fan blades until the guns were switched on. He and Jayne had worked nights for a while, getting everything set up so the Bartons could truthfully claim ignorance if there ever was a problem with the Feds.

Now the once smooth surfaces of the engines looked as if they had ridges like the corrugated metal people used for roofing. One switch to turn the guns on and the ridges were centered between the fan blades rather than behind them. Another switch armed the guns and the third fired upon the enemy.

The tricky part had been getting the guns set so that they could fire at objects ahead of them and behind them but thanks to Jack and Jayne they’d managed. Jayne had earned an entirely new level of respect from Riddick and Jack when it was his expertise they’d drawn on to make the guns work in the Black. He’d known exactly why something would work or wouldn’t and could explain it in words someone educated in the penal system could understand.

The test flight they’d taken the boat on had included weapons testing and Riddick had been pleased to report their accuracy and function was as exact as they could make it. He figured later on, after they’d saved up some more money they could upgrade or maybe add something else. The biggest problem was the weight, not in the black but landing and taking off. They’d added a solid two tons to the ships weight with the guns, mechanics and camouflage.

Still, the boat flew well and the extra cost in fuel was pretty negligible. And he didn’t feel like his neck itched him every time he was piloting.

* * *

 

_**Jack** _

“If that reg couple gums up the works one more time I’m ripping it out and plugging the g-line straight into the port-pin-lock and be damned to what the stats say,” Jack threw her gloves on the counter and poured herself some coffee. Eight months of working out in the Black had made them all a lot more relaxed around each other. No one had to put on a show for anyone who might be listening unless they were dirtside. The luxury of being themselves, fully, had been a relief.

River looked up from her cortex and nodded, “Kaylee did that with _Serenity_.” She recalled. “Doesn’t hurt anything. Just have to take care if there’s a strain on the artificial gravity.”

“Yeah that’s what I always thought,” Jack frowned. “Only thing that might mess with it is if the grav boot can’t handle the direct flow.” She looked at River, “But if _Serenity’s_ engine can handle it…”

“Ours should be fine,” River confirmed. Jack could see her running through the math in her head. “Yes,” The Reader nodded. “We’d need to be dirtside to make the switch though.”

“Well we’re landing…” Jack frowned as she remembered which system they were in. “Helion four?”

“Hmm…” River made an affirmative noise in her throat. “Apples from Hera and wheat from Harvest.”

“Yeah,” Jack began to scrub the oil off her hands. “And those five down in the passenger quarters.”

“Not a peep out of them,” Riddick commented as he exited the bridge. “Wouldn’t have thought it when they boarded. As much of a fuss as they were making about the accommodations.”

“Smokescreen.”

Jack looked at River over her shoulder and then to her man, “For what?” Riddick’s curious quirk of his mouth told her he was just as interested in the answer as she was.

“Hiding,” River looked up from her cortex. “Making a fuss to see if we would live up to our reputation of discretion.”

“What’re they hidin’ from anyway,” Jack asked as she picked up her now drinkable coffee and sipped.

“Outrunning the lawmen,” She answered absently. “Swindled a swindler with fancy friends. Weren’t caught but they must be above suspicion and are not. Would have been arrested just for breathing too loudly.”

Jack shook her head as River’s words triggered a flood of visions, five con artists who specialized in tricking unsavory folks. “They can’t disappear on their own? Seems like they’d be good at it.”

“They could. But it’s simpler for them to get a ride with us and let River make them new idents. Register them in the Helion system and by the time the info trickles down to the Alliance databanks the old stuff’ll be gone.” Jayne told them as he shut the door to the stairs behind him. “Got the pictures you wanted.” He gave River a handful of captures.

Jack watched River for a moment and grinned, “That’s why they were willing to pay so much.” She shook her head, “I’ve been busy, didn’t realize what you were doing.”

“We need to make a stop anywhere else?” Riddick had simply taken the conversation in and drawn his own conclusions. “Can’t be easy to husk the databases from the boat.”

Jack grinned, “Just need to tap into Helion Primes satellites as we pass ‘em right River?”

River looked up with a grin of her own, “Easy peasy.”

Jack laughed and shook her head as she finished her coffee. “I’m gonna have a shower.” She dropped a kiss on Riddick’s cheek and giggled as he squeezed her ass.

“Got room for me?” He leered after her and she shivered. They hadn’t waited until they were on the boat to consummate their relationship, neither of them had the patience, but having their own room and privacy…that made all the difference in how often they were able to indulge in each other.

“I dunno,” She teased looking over her shoulder at him. “What’ll you give me?”

Her big man stalked across the room, he moved like one of the big predator cats she’d seen on a capture, and picked her up. “You’re gonna have to get a bit dirtier before I let you shower,” He growled as he carried her to their room and shut the door behind him.

“Oh yeah?” She could have twisted out of his embrace any time but where was the fun in that?

“Yeah,” His big hands were already pulling off her clothes and she was naked as a jaybird when he finally set her on the bed. He made quick work of his own clothing and pulled her back into his arms, sprawling beside her and kissing her sweetly.

She’d never stop being amazed at how careful he was of her, how sweet and generous a lover he was. Their first time he’d nearly given himself a stroke he was so worried about damaging her body with his. She’d had to beg him to move and then move faster and harder. By the time they were done he’d figured out she wouldn’t break. But he still liked to be gentle with her, maybe to prove to himself that he could, maybe because she’d let him. Every other woman had wanted the bad boy, the convict, wanted the rough trade they thought he could give them. With her, he could show that tender side, without any fear of her mocking him.

His lips caressed her neck and one palm covered her breast, squeezing it firmly and she moaned. This wasn’t going to be one of his exercises in restraint. As if her thought had triggered his actions he pulled her closer and sucked hard on her neck, growling his pleasure. The bitemark he’d left on her nape the first time they’d been together throbbed in reaction and Jack shuddered. “Riddick…”

“Mine…” One hand pressed, bowing her spine so her _shuāng rǔ_ were thrust up to his mouth. Two thick fingers teased her before sliding inside, his thumb rubbing over her _yīn dì_. His hot firm tongue laved her nipples while his fingers moved between her thighs and she moaned.

“Yours,” She agreed breathlessly. Her hands clutched at his shoulders and scalp greedy for more of that wonderful mouth and the blissfully hot suction on her breasts. “Please… Riddick…”

“Gonna scream for me?” He was ready, she could tell by looking at him, his _diǎo_ straining towards her, precum beading on the head.

“You know I will,” She reached for him and he moved his hips back out of her reach, pinned in his grasp as she was.

“Nah,” He rolled one nipple between his lips and tugged on it with his teeth. “Can’t be sure of it.” Silver eyes gleamed down at her in possessive pleasure. She knew that look, he was going to make her beg, do everything but fuck her until she was writhing with need. Then he’d push that big _jī ba_ into her so she couldn’t help but come around him with each stroke.

“Riddick…” Jack groaned, half in pleasure and half in anticipation of the sweet torture ahead.

“Yeah, your Riddick,” He growled the words against her skin and pulled her up, kissing her hard, devouring her mouth before he put her on her back and knelt between her thighs, draping her legs over his shoulders to bury his face in her _yīn xué_.

His mouth should be illegal, she gasped and moaned and begged as it surrounded her _yīn dì_ and sucked the hot swollen flesh. His tongue thrust inside her, teasing her with penetration that was nowhere near enough to satisfy before rubbing over her clit and growling his satisfaction as she fell, coating his mouth and chin. “That’s my woman,” Riddick crooned to her as he lowered her to the bed, his hands palming and squeezing her breasts before he turned her over and began to kiss and caress her spine.

Jack shuddered as his mouth traveled down to her _pì gu_ , teeth nipping at one cheek while his hand squeezed the other. On her knees with her cheek pressed to the mattress she was open and exposed the way he’d spread her thighs apart. Sometimes he’d find a toy to slide into her while he ate her again, sometimes his fingers would pump into her, rubbing deep to make her come. And occasionally her big man would…

A cry of pleasure fell from her lips as Riddick licked over her _gāng_ and used her own moisture to lube her up, something warm and rounded and thick pushing against her. “Unghh…” She mewled as he teased her with it, pushing it into her pussy and fucking her with it before sliding it out and pressing the dildo into her _pì gu_.

“So pretty with your ass filled up,” He growled and gave it a tap with his finger, making it move inside her body teasingly. “So beautiful like this, my woman, my Jack.” His teeth scraped over the skin of her hip before he bent and slide down between her thighs, pulling her hips down over his face. “That’s good,” His breath was hot against her slick curls. “You stay just like that Jack, unless you want a spanking…”

She moaned as he began to lick her delicately. Another game, telling her to be still when he knew her hips would begin to twitch and roll with need against his mouth. That wide palm would swat her cheeks and make every muscle in her body wind tighter and tighter. “Ooohh…fuck… Riddick…” She shuddered as he licked and sucked her, close to an orgasm already.

“Taste so good Jack,” That dark chocolate and coffee voice was warm and pleased between her thighs. “Fucking love how you taste _Mì Táo_. Gonna have you for dessert every fuckin’ day.” He nipped at her clit and she trembled, her hips rolling instinctively to his mouth. “Oh now you went and moved…” He was trying to sound disappointed but it came out as amusement. That warm wide palm squeezed and rubbed one cheek before he swatted it, hard enough to turn her skin red.

She gasped in shock and pleasure and Riddick just growled between her thighs, licking and teasing her before swatting the other cheek. Back and forth, his mouth driving her insane and his hand smacking her ass, until she screamed his name incoherently, shuddering as she came over his lips. Hard hands yanked her down on his mouth to suck on her, fingers biting into her hot red skin and she nearly wept with the force of her next orgasm. “Riddick, please… Riddick… unghhh…”

“So good,” He held her up easily, putting her back on her knees and arranging her so her thighs were spread and her knees rested against the edge of the mattress. He loved to stand behind her like this, control the movements so he could draw her pleasure out. One hand snaked down and wrapped around her ribcage, fingers tugging on her tight nipples. His _diǎo_ rubbed over her pussy deliberately, the head pushing over her _yīn dì_ in rough strokes until she was moaning and trying to press back onto him.

It was enough to drive her mad, but not enough to satisfy and he knew it. “Riddick, please…” She moaned desperately. “I need you…fuck me.”

“That’s what you need _Mì Táo_ ,” He squeezed her breasts again. “You’re sure you want it?” She could feel him shift, taking himself in hand to rub the head over her opening and only his other hand holding her still kept her from pushing back onto it.

“Please…I want it,” Jack knew she’d go crazy if he didn’t fill her up with his cock. “Riddick…”

“Fuck Jack,” She loved when his voice sounded like that, raw with need for her. “Fuck yes.”

It should have hurt, having all of him rammed suddenly inside her, hard enough to make her see stars as he went balls deep all at once. His hips pushed the toy in her ass as he pulled her back onto his _diǎo_ and ground into her and she screamed his name as she came, her body flexing and spasming wetly around him. She was stretched tight, aching and hot as he pulled out and slammed back into her fucking her through her orgasm and into the next one.

Her knees came off the bed as he pulled her back to his hips, his hands holding her to his body as he fucked her hard and rough the way they both needed. Riddick was groaning, all the teasing he’d done working against him now that he was finally inside her, straining to last. “Unghh…fuck… Jack.”

“Yes…” She shuddered as he hammered into her, the head of his cock hitting her cervix each time, he was fucking her so deeply. “Unghh… Riddick…yeah… come in me… Riddick… fuck me…come in me.”

His arm banded around her waist and up between her breasts, pulling her spine flush with his chest as he fucked her. A shift of her head and her hair fell over one shoulder, exposing the other along with the nape of her neck. It was the final straw and she screamed out her pleasure as he dug so deeply inside her, forcing his way into her womb. She could feel her body lock around his, tight, holding him there as she came again, forcing him to join her, his seed filling her womb as he roared, teeth snapping hard onto her shoulder, her skin muffling his triumphant shout of her name.

* * *

 

What followed after was tender, gentle as he moved over her body, kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough of her mouth, lips and fingers bringing her bliss in an entirely different way. He pulled her over his chest to hold her, always conscious of his weight and strength and she smiled, pressing a kiss to his heart. “Hmm…” She’d wondered something for a while. “Riddick… you don’t ever fuck my _pì gu_ … you don’t want to?”

She’d surprised him, she could tell by the way he stilled for a moment and then kept breathing. His heartbeat thumped hard under her ear before he said anything though his voice was low and measured like nothing was out of the ordinary. “Don’t wanna hurt you Jack. I ain’t exactly fun sized.”

Jack couldn’t stifle her giggle at the term, “I dunno, I think you’re a lot of fun.”

He squeezed her ass with one big hand, “You know what I mean.” Riddick’s eyes watched her thoughtfully. “You know how big I am.”

She nodded. He wasn’t just long, he was thick, his cock built just like his body and he was extremely conscious of how small she was. She might have gotten a couple inches and some curves, but compared to him she was still fairly tiny. “Yeah, I just wanted to know if you wanted to.”

Her big man smiled, “Like playing with you there because you’re so sensitive, responsive. If you wanted I’d try it with you. But it ain’t somethin’ I need. Love how it feels when I push in you Jack. There’s nothing better than your body taking me in, wet and hot and ready for me.” He kissed her gently. “You were made for me baby.”

Jack nodded. Truthfully if she didn’t trust him completely, Riddick’s body would be damn intimidating. And she didn’t know if she’d ever want to give up the feel of him sliding inside her, “I know what you mean.”

Riddick pulled her closer and began to kiss her again, “And if you can think enough to ask questions I obviously haven’t made you come enough for me.”

She was moaning through her laugh as he began to play with her all over again. What would she do without him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So they’re off the ground, a few not so legal additions and Riddick went and took over the second part of the chapter with lemons. He does that now and then. Bad man.
> 
> We didn’t meet Mrs. Barton, sorry, but I wanted to get them back into the Black and the Bartons are pretty distracting. Hope you’re enjoying this in spite of that.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Mì Táo (honey peach)
> 
> Dì yù (hell)
> 
> shuāng rǔ (breasts)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> jī ba (dick / penis)
> 
> yīn xué (pussy / underground cave / vagina)
> 
> pì gu (butt)
> 
> gāng (anus)


	19. Nineteen

_**Jayne** _

He was getting a bad feeling. They’d had three months of smooth sailing since they’d dropped their five passengers in the Helion system. Badger had contacted them for a job and they’d been back to Persephone for only the second time since they’d left it. Most of their jobs were to the outer systems, past Blue Sun or Georgia system. Riddick knew those space lanes well and how to make short work of the longer trips by getting a boost from the gravitational pull of the stars out there. Some oddball type suns in the outer systems and Riddick knew his way around each and every one. And more importantly how to avoid the merc ships that traveled the popular space lanes. Jayne could definitely appreciate that, given how River monitored the merc channels and how often their names came up.

Most of his time when they were in the air was taken up with working on the weapons, modifying bullets or fixing the guns they’d gotten cheap (or free from dead folks) so they were worth selling. He’d made himself mostly responsible for the cargo and distributing it, so the weight was even around the lower deck. It made take offs and landings a lot easier. And there was always sexing River and working out.

Dealing with the passengers was also something he was better suited to than Riddick or the girls. Riddick because he considered all people to be created equally stupid and annoying with very few exceptions. River because invariably someone would want to shake hands and touch tended to push their thoughts at her. And Jack because she was nearly as anti-social as her man, in addition to avoiding her Sight when it wasn’t necessary for their well-being. As he understood it Jack’s Sight was a lot more random than River’s Reading. It wasn’t that he was any more social or enjoyed people better than they did. But he was a lot more used to it than the other three and he’d paid enough attention to Mal’s spiel when _Serenity_ took on passengers to give a decent approximation of it.

But that wasn’t an issue with the passengers because they didn’t have any at the moment. It wasn’t about the job because they’d done it and everything had gone smoothly. That was mostly due to their constant paranoia about the Alliance being around and the precautions they’d taken in order to avoid said Alliance.

No one could touch Riddick for piloting, he’d even give Wash a run for his money. And Jack was easily Kaylee’s equal or better in the engine room. He liked to think that he was a pretty dab hand at gunsmithing and general weapons maintenance. But River’s contribution to their jobs, besides helping with general planning, was her cortex work. She could pretty much make a cortex sit up and dance if she got to program it. And making false papers and idents that would pass an Alliance scan on the Border and Rim was something both of them had experience with. That was a nicely profitable use of the cortex equipment River had brought with her.

Twice they’d done some salvage jobs and had the Alliance buzz the wrecks only to find nothing worrisome. Between Jack and River’s know how and Jayne’s experience they’d figured out a way to go dark until the job was done and they all came back on. Riddick hadn’t seen the point of shutting down the entire ship for a job that would only take a couple hours until Jayne had explained about imprinted goods and flashing the law as they left. Shutting down the ship would fool a buzz but it had to be done right after they docked with a wreck or the boat would read too hot to fool a scan. The last thing they wanted was a Fed boat to catch them ‘at work’ the way _Serenity_ had been caught. They had just as much, if not more, to lose than _Serenity_ had back then. And not being in a hurry to avoid getting caught gave them plenty of time to gather salvage. Things from the wrecks had been sold all over and paid for fuel and food enough that they wouldn’t starve or eat only molded protein anytime soon.

“He is worried,” River’s soft voice was affectionate as she trailed fingers over his shoulders before taking a seat in his lap. “But cannot determine the source.”

“Yeah,” He nodded and discarded the magazine he’d been browsing through. “Just got a bad feelin’. Cain’t put a finger on it.”

“Nothing on the schedule,” River reminded him. “Maybe now is the time to visit Mr. Universe’s moon.”

“That’s…not a bad idea,” Jayne nodded. He wasn’t over-fond of the moon or the memories of Reavers tearing at Wash and Zoe, or Kaylee being poisoned. But while he might dislike the place slightly, the rest of _Serenity’s_ crew had an almighty hatred for the rock.

“Been meaning to show Riddick and Jack,” River cuddled against him. “Safe harbor.”

“Yeah it is that.” He agreed. “And it ain’t as if the salvage won’t keep.”

“Soften his unease,” River murmured. “A respite and perhaps the storms will clear.”

“We can hope.” Jayne nodded.

* * *

 

The place had been cleansed, all the bodies removed, Reaver and Purplebelly alike. It still smelled of blood though, at least to him. He imagined that was because of the couch where Universe had died. If they set this place up as a base long term they’d need to get rid of all the blood stained carpet and furniture. He looked into the kitchen and wrinkled his nose, thankfully MREs didn’t rot or the smell’d be worse.

“It’s not bad,” Riddick didn’t seem to care for the blood either. “Could fix it up with some of the stuff we got off the wreck.”

Jack was looking over the schematics River had dug up, “The place’ll pretty much run forever if you don’t screw with the main reactor. It was made to be self-sustaining.”

River was busy with the remains of the wrecked cortex equipment, “Much of the damage here is superficial.” She looked over at him, “What does my Jayne think?”

“I think if we want a place no one knows about that this is a good spot,” Jayne rubbed his chin. “And if you want to do more work on the cortex this is the best place for it.”

“Boat’ll be more comfortable until we get this place in shape,” Riddick looked around. “We could start with getting rid of anything with blood soaking it.” He stomped hard, listening to the floors. “Metal decking under the carpet and pad. That’ll come clean easy enough.”

Jayne nodded his agreement. “Universe would hole up here mostly but there’s more to the complex. Should be plenty of room.” He hit the button for the lift and began to drag the couch towards it, grateful the thing was four separate parts. “There’s an incinerator off the hanger. We can burn all the bloody stuff.” Riddick nodded his agreement and came to lend a hand.

* * *

 

They’d spent a good three weeks on Universe’s moon, secure in the knowledge that no one would look for them there. River and Jayne had made a point of going through every room, exorcising the ghosts of their last sojourn upon the rock. By the time they were done they’d made it theirs, safe and comfortable, salvaged furniture set up in the rooms they’d claimed.

Jayne had wondered if it was his paranoia talking when he’d started to think about laying a few traps and tell-tales for anyone that might take a notion to come looking. “It’s not paranoia when there really is someone out to get you,” River had sat in his lap and draped her arms around his neck while she kissed his cheek.

“Still don’t think Mal or Simon would think to come here,” Jayne admitted. “But it don’t set right with me to just…leave the door open, so to speak.”

Riddick had looked up from the shiv he was carving and grinned, “You want someone to convince you traps and cameras are a bad idea I think you’ve got the wrong crowd.”

River had nodded as Jack came into the common room with a bowl of popped corn. “Universe had plenty of cameras. A security system is wise. Was thinking of taking some to put on the ship. Eyes in the cargo bay and near the doors.”

“Like that idea too,” Jayne admitted.

“Can’t shake the notion that something bad is going to happen,” River explained to the other two. “Bad feeling does not fade.”

Jack’s eyes had snapped over to his and she’d focused intently but after a moment shook her head, “I’m not Seeing anything. But that don’t mean you’re wrong. Maybe there’s some action that’ll trigger it.”

“Meantime, let’s set up a security system,” Riddick grabbed a handful of popcorn. “I’ve broken out of more ‘secure’ places than I can count, so we’ve got that.”

“And I been breakin’ in secure places since I was fifteen,” Jayne chuckled in spite of his unease. “And the girls got some experience with that too. “’Tween the four of us, should be able to get the place covered.”

River had smiled evilly, “Have in mind to create a program to engage docking clamps upon any ship that is not ours.”

“Like on Canton?” Jayne grinned at her, “I like that. By the time anybody figured a way out of it we’d be ready for ‘em.”

It had been a huge benefit that the complex barely used a fraction of the power generated by the moon’s reactor. There was more than enough to keep the security system and accompanying lock down devices running while they were gone. Riddick and River had bonded over the creation of a maze like series of hallways designed to lead people right back to where they started. They’d been a little scary what with the grinning and evil laughing. Jack had exchanged a look with him and they’d both decided to start on the next phase of the project, which was wiring power to all the areas they needed.

But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go very badly wrong.

* * *

 

It was a stone bitch to be gorram right about this _wǒ kào_ , Jayne decided as he snuck through the dusty city after Riddick. They’d stopped on Helion Prime to pick up some cargo and everyone had been in a tizzy about a comet. Jack had stopped dead in her tracks Seeing something and River had begun cursing in a way that made both men look at her in awe.

They’d hustled back to the ship at that point and taken off, landing somewhere they wouldn’t be immediately obvious, and River had shuddered when Riddick asked the two of them what was going on. “They are an army unlike any other...” River’s voice hadn’t been her own, eerie and distant as she spoke, obviously Reading someone else. “Crusading across the stars toward a place called UnderVerse, their promised land...a constellation of dark new worlds Necromongers, they're called. And if they cannot convert you, they will kill you. Leading them, the Lord Marshal. He alone has made a pilgrimage to the gates of the UnderVerse...and returned a different being. Stronger. Stranger. Half alive and half...something else. If we are to survive, a new balance must be found. In normal times, evil would be fought by good. it should be fought by another kind of evil.”

Jack had gripped River’s hands so tightly her knuckles were white, “An elemental, Aereon, she’s gotten to Abu…convinced him…” She frowned and looked at Riddick. “They think you can save them all from these Necromongers. They say the comet precedes them.”

“Fuck,” Riddick rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. “How’n the hell am I supposed to do that?”

River’s face was still distant, “A prophecy was made to the current Lord Marshall, before he was elevated to such rank, that a Furyan male would kill him, before ‘due time’.” She took a deep breath and leaned against Jayne, her voice her own again, “The same elemental who searches for you now, made the prophecy. Calculation and knowledge, not really a seer. But because of the prophecy Zhylaw killed every Furyan he could find. Cut newborns from their mothers and strangled them with their birth cords.”

Jack had stilled at that bit of news and Riddick had bitten off another curse before shaking his head, “So what the fuck do we do about this shit?”

Jayne tilted his head, “They’re looking for you. Wantin’ you to save ‘em. Let’s give ‘em what they want.” He’d been oddly relaxed now that the axe wasn’t hanging over them anymore.

“The four of us, destroy an army?” Riddick had looked incredulous and Jayne didn’t blame him. It did sound ridiculous when you put it like that.

“Always heard tell there’s no trouble in the ‘verse cain’t be solved with careful application of high explosives.” Jayne grinned, “An’ if the problem’s still there, you ain’t used enough.”

“Blow ‘em to kingdom come?” Jack’s eyes were dancing mischievously.

“Trick is gonna be gettin’ the bombs into their ships,” Jayne nodded.

“I might have a few ideas about that,” Riddick had tilted his head thoughtfully.

So now he was following Riddick after the man had picked a fight with one of the Necro warriors. Wasn’t much of a fight really. A slinky woman with skin slightly lighter than Zoe’s had invited Riddick back to the ship they called the _Basilica_. It was Jayne’s job to shadow him, using armor they’d stolen off a Necro soldier and plant as many explosives as he could on any other ship he saw. The girls were already aboard the big ship, sliding in the same way River’d gotten around on _Serenity_ when she was avoiding Simon. Even armies of the dead or undead or whatever they were needed to breathe.

Between their abilities and training the two of them figured it wouldn’t take much to plant explosives in the main engine. Then they’d move on to the rest of the ships. The biggest trick had been getting the materials for the bombs.

Luckily Helion Prime had an underbelly just like every other planet. And the criminal underground didn’t like being converted or killed any more than the law-abiding citizens did. Between Jayne and Riddick they had enough connections to get the word out, and the end result was enough plastique explosive to blow up a damn good part of the Necromonger army. River and Jack had wired every device created with a silent remote.

Riddick had just grumbled about being the distraction and having nothing fun to do. Jack had just grinned and reminded him that no one said he couldn’t kill Necros himself. That had cheered the man up.

“We’ve attached the bombs to the main drive,” River’s voice sounded softly in his ear. “Moving to the main airlocks and then on to the medium sized ships.”

“Working my way in from the edge of their fleet on the ground,” Jayne muttered back. “This is gonna take gorram hours.”

“Recruited others to help,” Jack told him. “Stick to the southwest and work your way north. Badger vouched for us with the locals remember? And vouched for them with us. So we’ve got guys on the north west area and more guys on the east side. Just tag as many as you can. We can take out the bulk of their army and the Helion Prime’s military can deal with the rest. We just gotta cut the head off the snake.”

“Got it,” Jayne continued working on the small ships around him, working his way steadily north. “How’s Riddick doin’?”

“Impatient,” River murmured. “Cut a few throats as a warning, don’t get too close, rabid animal.”

“Sounds like fun,” Jayne grinned.

“Interrogation soon,” She sounded disturbed. “We have perhaps forty minutes. Then he will need to escape.”

“Well we’re out,” Jack sounded a bit breathless and he guessed the two of them had to do a bit of athletic work to get out of the big ship. “Two guards following.”

He waited tensely, still moving and slapping bombs to the back hulls of the fighters as he did, until River’s voice sounded in his ear, “Guards are disposed of. Underestimated the little girls.”

“Heading for the line of warrior ships. They’re all along the boulevard leading to the _Basilica_. River an’ me are each taking a side.” Jack sounded a bit distracted.

“What’s wrong?” Jayne frowned.

“Don’t have as long as we thought,” River told him. “Interrogation is…uncomfortable. Mind readers who do not scruple to do damage to achieve their ends.”

“How long,” Jayne began to move faster.

“Maybe twenty minutes,” Jack told him. “I’ll let the rest of them know.” There was a click as her earwig switched channels.

“Make haste,” River sounded worried. “He will come at a run. We must meet him at the ship.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Jayne checked his stock of bombs and saw he had a good two dozen left. A little plastique explosive went a long way.

It had actually been funny when they’d put their plan to the local crime bosses. Five different men and one woman, all of whom were at odds with one another. They’d been in agreement that Jayne and his crew were insane, until River shrugged and said that explosives damaged all ships universally. Riddick had quietly pointed out that the other option was to wait and be killed or converted. Jack had simply drawn out some quick plans of where the weak points would likely be on the ships she’d seen. Being a Seer helped with that.

Ultimately they’d gotten the locals to agree that helping was in their own self interest. The ones who had no skill at bombs or stealth were making themselves useful by evacuating that area of the city. Just in case.

They got a lot more done than he’d thought they would once everyone reported back. He guessed his ma was right when she’d always said many hands made light work.

* * *

 

_**River** _

There was something very satisfying about a large explosion followed by a series of smaller ones. River grinned from her position in Jayne’s lap as she watched the fires bloom in the distance. Helion Prime’s people had been hiding inside, those that hadn’t been taken or killed, so very few of them had been near the blasts. The men and women who’d helped them plant the bombs had retreated to minimum safe distance and dragged anyone they knew, could see or could grab, along with them. Evacuation wasn’t a choice at that point, more grim necessity.

“How many you figure are left?” Riddick was looking over their shoulders out the bridge windows. “Necromongers I mean.”

“Couple hundred, maybe,” River looked at Jack for confirmation and her oldest friend nodded.

“Few enough that the law will be able to handle them,” Jack agreed. “But they won’t be destroying anymore planets.”

“And the Elemental set them on you to begin with?” Jayne looked at Riddick. “Where d’ya figure she got off too?”

“Either got blown up or she’s mixed in with the natives,” Riddick shrugged. “Why?”

“Jayne is wondering about Furya,” River smiled at her big man. “Wonders if you would like to try and find your home world.”

“Well if we could that’d be good,” Riddick shrugged and took a seat, pulling Jack into his lap. “I got no memory of it though.”

“The Elemental would know,” Jack reminded them. “We could find her.”

“You think?” Jayne had looked at Jack and then at River curiously.

River nodded, “Her mind is unique on this world.” She took a deep breath and drifted, minds like gold and silver around her, rare thoughts tinted red or blue, the dull grey of the surviving Necros and one… a bright white. “She is…” She frowned and looked at Jack. “Don’t recognize the place.”

Jack tilted her head as she Saw what River had Read and grinned, “That’s Abu’s basement.”

“She there with his wife and daughter?” Riddick asked. Abu had gotten separated from his family. They hadn’t seen him since the fleet had landed.

“And Abu,” Jack grinned. “Think we oughta pay a visit?”

“Yeah, we can collect the price on my head,” Riddick grinned back at his woman and River giggled.

“She will not know what to make of us.”

* * *

 

And she hadn’t. The four of them had concealed the ship and walked through the broken streets to the remains of Abu’s house. It had done a little better than some of the others, in that the first floor was still standing and the second floor was missing its roof and walls but there was enough remaining to keep the weather out.

“So,” Riddick had greeted them. “Hiding in the dark? Waiting? So you can’t see what’s coming for you?” River had thrown a glow light on the floor, dim enough that it wouldn’t irk Riddick’s eyes but giving enough light for the rest of them.

“You live,” Abu had been relieved, that much was obvious. “Allah be praised.”

“Allah’s got nothin’ to do with it,” Riddick said flatly. “Weren’t for these three there’d be a lot more dead, and this woulda gone on a lot longer.”

“This is…Jack?” Abu had stared in surprise. “You have grown.”

“It was about time,” Jack had rolled her eyes. “Considering I’m damn near twenty two years old.” The Imam had looked disbelieving and she’d sighed. “I’m not half starved anymore and I got access to medical care.” She shrugged.

River hadn’t paid much attention to the conversation, staring at the Elemental, “You drew us here. You set a price on his head. All for the sake of your ridiculous prophecy.”

“A prophecy demanded of me,” The silver haired woman held her chin high. “See how well you do when you have a knife at your throat.”

“I have,” River retorted. “And when the enemy demands the truth on pain of death you lie. You tell them what they want to hear, with the tiniest of problems. You let them think they are invulnerable.” She sneered, “Rather than condemn an entire race to death in order to save your own.”

“How…” The woman studied her and her mouth twisted slightly in distaste. “A Reader.”

“A true Reader. And Precog,” River nodded.

“And she’s a genius to boot,” Jayne spoke up behind her.

“What is that to me?” The aristocratic chin lifted slightly, “Simple people whose lives will never be more than a worker bee.”

“We don’t take kindly to people who throw our friends to the wolves so they can save their own skin,” Jayne said pointedly. “An’ the way we figure it, you owe us.”

“Owe you.” If it was possible to drip disdain her words would have spattered acid drops to the floor.

“Yeah,” Riddick’s cold gaze turned upon her. “First you’re gonna pay out the price you put on my head. Then you’re gonna declare the contract paid in full and complete. And then you’re gonna tell us where Furya is. So maybe someday I can go home again.”

“Is not the knowledge of a good deed worth more than credits?” Abu protested mildly and River rolled her eyes.

“Your bible says to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.” She said flatly. “She will do as Riddick says.”

“Or?”

Riddick glanced from the Elemental to Jack, River and Jayne. River drew her sword, Jayne his guns and Jack her knives, “Or you’ll pay another way.” He told the faintly glowing female.

“Surrounded by earth,” River murmured. “An elemental of air underground is at a distinct disadvantage.” She smirked at the woman, “The Necromongers are no more, but for a scant few hundred. Easily dispatched. You have what you wanted. Payment is due.”

* * *

 

It had taken more arguing, and Jayne had nearly lost patience, pulling the hammer back on his side arm in irritation. That had sped the debate up considerably. In the end they had most of the bounty, some of it Riddick had given to Abu. The Imam would help people rebuild before he’d use it for personal gain and that was something they could all live with.

River checked the merc database and smiled, “Contract fulfilled. No longer open.” She nodded and put away her cortex.

Furya had been a more difficult goal but they’d finally gotten a set of co-ordinates out of the Elemental. River had frowned thoughtfully and looked at Jack. “Is that…”

“Might be.” Jack conceded and River took her cortex out again, running the numbers through her star charts.

“A small planet with two moons and a green sun.” She frowned, “No designation. It’s in a system past Blue Sun.” She showed Riddick on the screen. “Do you know it?”

“Vaguely.” He’d looked at Aereon and growled, “If you’re lying, so help me, I will come back and see how much an Elemental can bleed.”

“I’m not lying,” She’d all but rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing there. Only Furyans could survive that planet.”

“Might explain why no one else ever settled there,” Jayne muttered. “Rick, you wanna take a trip?”

“Maybe after we do another job,” He’d nodded.

River stared at the Elemental and smiled when the woman winced. “She’s telling the truth. But not all of it. Furyans are scattered all over the ‘verse.”

“More like him?” Jayne had sounded a little disgruntled at that. “Like one ain’t enough.” He’d grinned at Riddick who’d simply smirked back.

River smiled slowly, “There was a large contingent of Furyans who left five years before Zylaw came to conquer and burn. They settled on Kerry after they heard Furya was destroyed.”

“Ain’t that where you’re from?” Jack grinned at Jayne and River giggled.

“Yeah,” Jayne sighed. “I think that’s all the fun I can handle for one day. Whaddaya say we head on home?”

“Sounds very good,” River nodded.

“Yeah,” Riddick and Jack nodded in unison.

“Safe journeys, and thank you,” Abu blessed them, irritating Riddick and eliciting a sigh from Jack.

* * *

 

After avoiding an army of Necromongers it was child’s play to evade the military and return to their ship. Riddick headed straight for the bridge and took the ship into the upper atmosphere with only the bare minimum of flight checks

River couldn’t really blame him, the entire trip to Helion Prime had been one disaster after another. The cargo they’d come to pick up had been blown to kingdom come along with half the spaceport. If they hadn’t gotten the credits for the contract on him they’d have lost money on the trip. Now they had to try and line up another job or sail around with an empty hold. Better to break atmo while they were ahead, relatively speaking.

Jack had run back to the engine just in case they needed an extra burst of power and Jayne had still been checking to be sure everything was locked down when they took off. River frowned as she began to work on the cortex, they’d need a job and soon if they were to keep up a good rhythm of income.

“Got anything?” Jayne asked as she came up for air several hours later.

“Job out on Santo,” River nodded. “Lucrative enough to be worth the trip.”

“What’s it call for?” Jayne was throwing spices and protein into a wok as they talked. It was a good idea, they’d been running on dry rations since they landed on Helion Prime.

“Similar to the job on Triumph when we picked up Saffron?” River explained, “Shipments aren’t getting to the outer settlements because they’re getting hijacked along the way.”

“Train or wagon?” Riddick asked as he came into the common area and took a seat with a tired sigh. Jack joined him on the couch a moment later, curling up against her man tiredly.

“Wagons.” She read over the description again, “Sounds like the routes don’t vary much, because the roads are bad and Santo doesn’t run to a lot of rivers for a barge like Triumph. The idea is for us to ride back and forth in the wagon in lieu of passengers and take down the bandits when they try for us.”

“They robbin’ payrolls or goods?” Jayne put something in the oven. “Somebody set the table will ya?”

River got up and got the dishes and flatware down from the wall cabinet, answering as she set the places, “Mostly goods, but they’ve gotten a company payroll due to sheer persistence. They’d like to switch to using shuttles for all but the cheapest of goods but they can’t get the shuttles up and running.”

“We could give ‘em a hand with that,” Her big man suggested as she began pouring mugs of tea and the other two came to the table. “’Tween Jack an’ me, we could get the shuttles runnin’. They say if they’re solar or somethin’ else?”

“Doesn’t say,” River shook her head. “Should I send acceptance?”

“Yeah,” Riddick nodded looking at Jack for a moment. “If we’re all agreed it’s a good job. Let ‘em know we got some people on our crew that are good at engines.”

“For an extra fee or raw goods,” River nodded and began to type out the wave on her portable cortex. “Should know in a few hours if we’ve got the job. And it lines up close enough with the one we’ve got scheduled from Badger.”

“An’ we’ll be in the neighborhood,” Jayne commented as he brought dinner to the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Soo… Necromongers. I didn’t want to ignore them entirely, but neither did I want them to hijack the entire story. So what do you do when an enemy fleet/army occupies your home? You fight back straight up, which we saw didn’t work so well for the folks on Helion Prime. Or you go the route of the Swamp Fox and you use sabotage, infiltration and strategically placed traps. 
> 
> With these four, I figured all they’d need would be some extra hands. Hence our local criminals. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. Author’s Note: Soo… Necromongers. I didn’t want to ignore them entirely, but neither did I want them to hijack the entire story. So what do you do when an enemy fleet/army occupies your home? You fight back straight up, which we saw didn’t work so well for the folks on Helion Prime. Or you go the route of the Swamp Fox and you use sabotage, infiltration and strategically placed traps. 
> 
> With these four, I figured all they’d need would be some extra hands. Hence our local criminals. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> wǒ kào (crap)
> 
>  
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> wǒ kào (crap)


	20. Twenty

_**Riddick** _

Being in the neighborhood wasn't all that it cracked up to be, Riddick frowned as Jack dodged behind a large pile of crates. The job from Badger promised to be a good one, and something they could definitely handle without any problems.

But Persephone was something of a hub for trade of all sorts, and that meant all sorts could be found on the Eavesdown docks. Including _Serenity's_ crew. If Jayne wasn't so paranoid about them, if River hadn't been prepared, they might have run right into the very people they were keen to avoid. In all fairness, Helion Prime going to hell in a handbasket had screwed up their timing. They'd gotten off the planet two days before they'd planned, the job on Santo had only taken a week, and so they'd arrived on Persephone a full four days early.

Badger had been pleased to get their wave, but he'd warned them that _Serenity_ was dropping off cargo with him so they'd all want to play least in sight. If they hadn't had to pick up a data chip with information he and Jack wouldn't have even gone near Badger's 'office' as he called it.

They'd figured Jack was the least recognizable of the four of them, she'd changed quite a bit since _Serenity_ had taken Riddick and her off the derelict. Her voice was just slightly huskier and she'd gained both height and curves. She was still an armful for him but at least he didn't feel like an old pervert with her on his arm. And trained assassin or not, a woman alone was a target for all sorts of unsavory folk. So he'd gone along with her and waited outside.

The shadows were his friend, the sky was overcast and he hadn't even needed his goggles. He'd simply leaned against the wall and flipped a shiv through his fingers like a magician would a coin, hopefully acting like another of Badger's guards.

He'd seen Reynolds, the First Mate and another fairly large individual, though he was small compared to him or Jayne, all of them entering Badger's domain and barely giving him a second glance. Idiots. Letting his beard and hair grow out some had disguised his face a bit, and with the peacoat and cap he looked like anyone of a thousand other dockworkers or hired muscle.

Times like these he was grateful his senses were above average and he'd had considerable practice focusing them on what he needed to see or hear or smell. Jack and Badger's voices were quiet, but their tones were clear. By that same token he could hear Reynolds, Washburne and the fella he guessed was their new gunhand easily.

Badger and Jack were concluding their business when the other three came in the room and Badger's annoyance at the interruption was plain in his voice. "Though you weren't due in for another day," He greeted Reynolds.

"Got your goods burnin' a hole in my hull and aim to unload right quick," Reynolds returned. "Seein' as how they're imprinted."

"You go flashin' your asses at the gorram law again?" The criminal kingpin wanted to know.

"No," The Captain sounded irritated. "Just didn't want to take any chances."

"Right," Badger's disbelief was evident. "Well gimme a few here."

"I think we've got everything covered," Jack was uneasy, he could hear it in her voice, hopefully the others didn't.

"Right, well wave if anything comes up," Badger was all affability with Jack, a pointed contrast to his dealings with Reynolds. "Give my best to your partners."

"I will," Jack promised. He guessed she was leaving and either Washburn or Reynolds got a good look at her face.

" _Tài kōng suǒ yǒu de xīng qiú sāi jǐn wǒ de pì gu_ ," Reynolds nearly gasped. "You're—"

"None of your business," Jack snapped out the words and took off. She came out of the doorway at a hard run, with barely enough time to fling a crystal in Riddick's direction, Reynolds and the gunhand right behind her. From the scent of her Washburne wasn't quite up to a running pursuit so it wasn't surprising she'd stayed behind.

Riddick stepped forward and slammed his fist into the gunhand's chest right over his heart and with his other arm clothes-lined the captain. "Might wanna think twice about chasing my woman," He growled at the two men on the ground. "Or me for that matter."

"I'll be a _gǒu niáng yǎng de_ ," The gunhand gasped. "Riddick."

"Well _cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài,"_ Riddick cursed, scooped up the now dusty data crystal, and took off after Jack. He figured they had about five minutes before those two came after them.

It was nice to be wrong sometimes, this wasn't one of them. He'd underestimated Reynold's level of persistence and greed. It had been less than three minutes before he'd heard the two men behind he and Jack. She'd ducked behind some crates and slowed her pace to hide the sound of her steps. He climbed another stack of what looked like metal coffins and waited, out of sight, for the men to come around the corner.

Thinking of nothing but pursuit the two of them came barreling past him, and past Jack's position. If they didn't turn around…

"Fuckin' hell," He growled to himself as the gunhand cast a glance behind them and caught sight of Jack. His girl was no slouch at evading an enemy, she'd had plenty of practice at it, and in another minute she was out of sight again, but the two men had already turned around. It wasn't that she couldn't fight them off, but she and River had explained that their training was for killing, completely incapacitating someone without killing them wasn't something they'd learned. And adapting the training on the fly wasn't easy. Jack hadn't been practicing as long as River. It wasn't a good combination.

River had brought up a cortex feed of her in a bar, after she'd been triggered. He'd counted at least six men who would be dead of their wounds and five others that would likely die if they didn't get immediate medical help. Jack was trained in the same way. And the last thing they wanted was a trail of dead bodies. Not when they could be traced back to Badger and their own boat.

Jack must have decided the same thing because she stepped out right in front of the two men and aimed a pistol at them. "You two got a good reason for followin' me?"

"Riddick's woman," The gunhand smirked. "If attacking us is anything to go by."

"And," Jack's hand was steady and her gaze didn't even flick upwards to where she knew he was. She was aware of him, it was in every line of her body, but she'd never give him away.

"Nice price on his head. Yours too most likely, for aiding and abetting," The gunhand had to be a merc, that oily smell of greed was one thing all that breed had in common.

"And you were one of the last folk to see my crew. So you're going to tell me where she is," Reynolds added.

"You think so?" Jack smirked, "I could put two bullets in you and walk away. Easy peasy."

"Have to kill us to stop us," Reynolds told her. Riddick frowned, there was movement in the maze of crates behind Jack, but he couldn't move or speak to warn her without giving away his position.

The drawback of having the Sight instead of being a Reader was apparent as the ship's doctor came up behind her, his shoes scuffing and giving him away. A Reader might get overwhelmed by what she heard, but a Seer…could have a blindspot now and then. Jack twisted to the side to keep from having her back to him but he'd come through a narrow gap in the crates immediately at her back, too close for her to counter quickly, and Riddick growled low in his throat as a trio of steel needles slammed into her shoulder. She folded like an accordion to the ground, squeezing off a couple shots and getting the merc in the belly and Mal in the upper thigh.

With the doctor being Johnny on the spot Riddick didn't even have a hope of them bleeding out, the slender prick slapped a pressure bandage on the merc and a tourniquet on the Captain before helping Reynolds hoist Jack up over his shoulder. Reynolds must have radioed his ship.

Riddick growled, low and mean and had the satisfaction of the doctor casting an uneasy glance behind them as the three men and their hostage left the warehouse. Riddick scowled and made an easy leap to the catwalk that hung around the perimeter of the warehouse, following them out via the roof. Shadowing them until they came to the docks wasn't hard, not gutting the three of them and taking his woman back was the difficult part. But that would lead a trail right back to him and their boat. Because Washburne had to be aware by now of what her Captain was doing. And she wasn't poking her head out to have her throat conveniently sliced.

_Serenity_ was in a berth a dozen or so down from them and he sneered at the ship before climbing down from the roof of yet another warehouse and strolling casually over to the boat. He might not be the engineer Jack was but one thing he knew was how to cripple a ship, and remain unseen while doing it.

* * *

 

"So they ain't going anywhere," He finished his tale as he gulped down some water and fished the crystal out of his pocket. "They didn't even know I was on the boat. I might not be small enough to get between the hull and the walls everywhere but the vents were big enough. I did a helluva lotta damage. It'll take them a week to suss out everything I did."

"So at least they cain't take off with Jack," Jayne was nodding his appreciation of Riddick's actions. "Too bad killin' 'em woulda led the law back to Badger or us."

"The merc is dead no matter what," Riddick smirked. "Laid up in the infirmary. Be child's play to ghost him."

"Well you can make like a toddler after," The curly haired man shrugged. "Meantime, we've gotta get Jack back."

"Obviously," Riddick growled. "They the kind for beatin' something out of someone?"

"Might've been," Jayne looked at River. "Time was, Mal woulda told me to scare information outa someone."

"Won't beat her," River was tilting her head, thinking hard. "Try to play nice at first, once she wakes up," She frowned. "Simon dosed her with smoothers…enough to knock out you or Jayne. She won't be coherent for a while. Smoothers…don't play well with our bodies."

"'S why when they get shot they just tough it out," Jayne sighed. "Okay. So if we can figure where she's bein' held we can either sneak on or demand a…whatchamacallit… parsnip, parsley…"

"Parley," River supplied the word. "Favor parley, if only because they must know that she will not go back. Can't run from them forever."

"It is turnin' out to be harder'n we thought," Jayne agreed with a shake of his head. "Got an idea though…"

"Ooohhh…" River grinned, having clearly caught on to what Jayne was thinking. "Threaten to have them blackballed… very nice."

"Blackballed?" Riddick was only vaguely familiar with the term, knowing that it was associated with clubs and guilds and was something of the 'not good' variety.

"Yeah," Jayne grinned. "Criminal underground… s'all connected really. Tongs, gangs, kingpins like Badger. Ev'rybody's scratchin' out a livin'. An' they all got an' ear to the ground 'bout who's reliable, who's a cheat, that sorta thing."

"We inform _Serenity_ that if they do not stop hunting us, we will pass word to Badger and he will pass it on to everyone he knows and does business with," River continued. "So the trouble they had finding work after Miranda will look like a rainstorm compared to the drought we will bring down on them."

"And if that doesn't work I'll just kill everyone," Riddick smirked. "At least Reynolds and the merc. Without them, doubt anyone'd listen to your brother about you."

"Zoe thinks pursuit is a waste of time and effort. Cannot cage someone who knows how to pick locks. Pointless," River agreed.

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

The voices were familiar but not very much so. Men, irritated, snarling at each other, it was like the Academy all over again, groggy with drugs, her limbs uncontrollable and the ache of smoothers pounding in her brain. She and River had talked about it at length while they'd been working on their boat, trying to determine what the Academy had done to them besides attempt to brainwash and program them.

They might not have ever figured it out if River hadn't downloaded everything she could from the Academy's databases after Miranda. She'd had a small window when the Parliament would be in flux, the firewalls would be vulnerable and she'd made the best use of it she could.

Jack had trouble parsing through all the biotechnical babel that coated the screens when they pulled up the data on the procedures they'd endured. She could get the gist but her understanding was physics, mechanics, engineering. DNA sequencing manipulation and biological programing sounded like science fiction. When she'd said as much River had grinned at her, "We're building a spaceship."

That had gotten them giggling a bit, even got Riddick and Jayne chuckling. It had taken a solid week of reading in stolen moments of rest but they'd finally figured it out. The only drugs that worked like they ought to were antibiotics, some topical drugs and salves and a few that were designed to enhance lung capacity or stimulate organ cell renewal. Stimulants had very little effect and psychotropic drugs made them ill. Opioids were a type of depressant and made up most smoothers so of course they didn't work the way they should.

They'd explained it to Jayne and Riddick and the end result was that they were human, at the core at least, but their genes had been tweaked to give them increased stamina, enhanced reflexes and improved recovery times. And that wasn't including what had been done to their brains.

"But how," Jayne frowned. "How'd they do it?"

Riddick had been frowning and looking over the printouts River had been using. When he was done reading he burned the paper, "Viruses, if I'm reading this right."

River nodded, "There was a program, it began in the Americas, part of their intelligence agencies, funding research into genetic manipulation via viral infection." She sighed, "Problem was the delivery system. Started out with oral preparation, meds to be taken daily or something like."

"But why would you want someone dependent on pills if you're going to use them for infiltration," Riddick had seen the problem with that right away.

"Exactly," River nodded. "But once they determined the effect was what they wanted, they could create a virus to duplicate the effect. Inject someone with the virus and they would become ill, but once the body's immune system assimilated the virus, it was part of their DNA. Along with whatever effect they wished to achieve."

"And they've been doin' that to the kids in the Academy?" Jayne had looked outraged and he'd sounded like he was ready to kill something. Or more to the point, someone.

"The program started with adults," Riddick tapped the ashes. "Least that's what it implies."

River nodded, "Oversight was part of the process, but as the Earth died, other concerns took precedence over Outcome. The program was used to weed out the weak, given as injections to all who would ride the arks. Those that died would not make the journey. Those that lived… an entire generation bred from those that lived, the results studied."

"They wanted ta see if they'd pass it on to their kids," Jayne got it before the rest of them did. Maybe it was because he came from a big family and had seen how traits were passed along.

"Jayne is right," River nodded. "But further experimentation was deemed risky. The human race was finite and survival was priority. Once the planets were found and terraformed, the program could be picked up again. It was learned," Jack had watched as River's nose wrinkled in profound distaste. "It was learned that the virus took the best with adolescents and pre-adolescents. Children who were due for drastic changes. The virus was embraced more thoroughly."

"So they started takin' kids," Riddick snarled.

"Carefully selected," River nodded. "Why else are Core worlds so well regimented, guarded and elevated. Only the best of the best are allowed. Lineage is studied and subjects are…encouraged to breed for increased capabilities."

"No wonder the Core is so screwed up," Jayne muttered.

"Frustrating for them," Jack had grinned, Seeing what River had. When the men had looked at her curiously she'd explained. "No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't program a virus with free thought and obedience. Apparently one cancels out the other."

"So they tried other things, like the Pax," Jayne shook his head. "Trying to make people better."

"Better worlds." River had sighed and climbed into Jayne's lap. Jack remembered Riddick hadn't given her a choice, simply pulled her into his arms and breathed in her scent like he was starved for her.

Riddick. He'd tensed…he'd seen the doctor behind her…she'd seen him look, it had been the only thing that warned her, but she'd been half a second too late and in an awkward position. Just went to prove that even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. She and River knew there were ways to get around their abilities and training. It was difficult, but as _Serenity's_ crew had proven, not impossible. Reynolds must have had an earwig and relayed their position to the doctor. She'd known they weren't far from the docks, not with as many warehouses as she'd run past or through.

She frowned, or tried to frown, her muscles still weren't working right, everything felt like mush.

* * *

 

She must have passed out, or fallen asleep again, whatever you called brief periods of lucid thought in between blackouts. This time she was able to open her eyes, though that didn't do her head any favors. The light was painfully bright.

"Well, look who's awake; little miss sunshine," Reynold's voice was just a shade too hostile to be jovial, no matter how hard he tried at it.

"How're ya feelin'," The engineer, Kaylee, helped her sit up and held a glass of water to her lips. Jack inhaled, analyzing the scent and determined that if they'd drugged the water it was colorless and odorless, so she sipped it finally, the liquid a relief to her dry throat.

"Like I been on a three-day bender," Jack croaked out. "What the hell did he shoot me up with?" Kaylee got her another glass of water and retreated out the door.

"Standard smoothers," The Doctor's supercilious voice was unwelcome. "Now where is my sister?"

Jack leaned back against the wall and stared at him, "You even remember her name? What she can do? What she likes and dislikes? Or did all that get thrown away when you had to give up what you wanted to get her out of the Academy? Is that when she became something to be owned? Or did that happen later when nothing you did helped her?"

"I don't have to justify myself to you," Simon Tam sneered at her, those dark eyes cold and as unlike his sister's as chalk from cheese. "She is my sister and I'm responsible for her. She's very unwell and she belongs here where I can help her."

"Oh," Jack rolled her eyes. "Right. She couldn't have fixed herself on her own. Gotten the space and time to let all the drugs you doped her with clear out of her system so she could think and breathe and control her own mind and body. If you didn't have something to do with it you figure it hasn't been done right."

"She's unstable," Simon threw up his hands. "This is getting us nowhere," He looked at Mal. "We tried it your way. When will you try it my way?"

Jack tilted her head, the Sight coming easy and clear without the drugs, "Oh…" She sighed. "So you figure you'll drug me up and question me? Got some of those drugs make people spill their guts?" Mal shifted uncomfortably and she knew she was right, "Too bad those'll work just as well as your smoothers did. Drugs don't work on me anymore than they do on River."

"Why is that exactly," Mal honestly sounded curious.

She smirked at him, "Because River wasn't the only student at the Academy." She enjoyed the shock that little bomb had created and continued, "She's a Reader. I'm… well, you could call me a Seer. I'm clairvoyant."

Simon's reaction to that was to spout a torrent of blue language in Mandarin and Cantonese. The Captain just leaned against the wall and regarded her thoughtfully. "Guess that makes you as dangerous in your own way as River is hers."

"Too right," Jack rolled her eyes. "And I can tell you that if you want to drug me, you won't get anything. You could try torturing me, beating me, whatever, it isn't anything I haven't already endured. Just like River did." She flicked her gaze at Simon. "Never thought of that did you? That half of her problems might be PTSD? What is it with doctors? They think drugs will solve every _tā mā de_ problem."

"Hammers tend to see things like nails," Zoe Washburne appeared in the doorway and looked at the Captain. "Kaylee and Wash don't know what's wrong. But we aren't breaking atmo anytime soon. And Badger's due to come by for the goods now that we're past nightfall. That plan we had of leavin' as soon's the goods were clear isn't looking too likely."

" _Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ._ " Mal cursed, "It is always gorram something."

Jack giggled as she got a flash of what Riddick had done, "It's gonna take you weeks to suss out." She predicted. "And that's if you're lucky."

Zoe's gaze speared her, "And you know that how?"

"She's a Seer," Mal said it without a trace of irony in his voice. "Come outa the Academy, same's River."

"That…" The First Mate bit back whatever she'd been about to say, studying Jack thoughtfully. "Hmm…"

Jack shrugged, "Everybody's mind works different." She tilted her head, "You've got about ten minutes to let me off this boat before all hell breaks loose."

"You'll forgive me if I take that with a grain of salt," Mal smirked at her. "Why don't you just sit back and relax. You ain't goin' anywhere."

"Neither are you," Jack smirked back at him. "And you won't be either. Not unless you've got an angel sitting on your shoulder gonna give you a boost with his wings."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: There must be something in the air on Persephone that makes Mal and Simon do stupid things? They're lucky Riddick didn't smell blood on Jack or he'd have just sliced his way through them rather than go and get Jayne and River for backup.
> 
> Anybody catch what River is referencing when she talks about the Academy programs and what they were trying to achieve?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch)
> 
> cào nǐ zǔ zōng shí bā dài (fuck your ancestors to the eighteenth generation)
> 
> tā mā de (fucking)
> 
> Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ. (Fuck everyone in the universe to death.)
> 
> Script Chinese Translations:
> 
> Tài kōng suǒ yǒu de xīng qiú sāi jǐn wǒ de pì gu (script- Shove All the Planets in the universe up my ass)


	21. Twenty-One

_**Jayne** _

If he'd had his way River wouldn't be going anywhere near _Serenity_. But he'd been around long enough to know that he wasn't going to always get his way. Hell, he was lucky to get his way a quarter of the time. Worked out fine, considering there was four of them. It was when what River called 'outside events' interfered that his way, her way and everyone else's but the enemy's way went by the wayside.

This was one of the times that nobody was going to quite get their own way. Badger had been irritated as a drunken skunk that Mal had kidnapped one of their crew. Especially when said crew had a job from him that needed doing and were in the habit of getting things done in a timely and profitable fashion with a minimum of fuss.

River had explained the issue and Jayne's idea of blackballing _Serenity_. Badger had really liked that idea, proclaiming that he knew River had kept Jayne around for more than his hulking good looks. Jayne got the impression that Badger was ready to pretty much cut all connections with Mal no matter what.

"What's wrong with the man?" Badger wanted to know as they walked through the darkness of the docks towards _Serenity_. " _Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi_. Someone ought to yank that stick out of his arse and beat him about the head with it."

"That's plan B," Jayne told him with a smirk.

Badger chuckled, "Wish I could keep you folks around more. I do have the best time when you're here."

"You just like screwin' with Mal," Jayne did a walking double-check of his weapons and put his eyes on River once again. Riddick was walking soundlessly behind them, while River was walking slightly ahead of Badger and his men. If he hadn't trusted Riddick implicitly it might have made Jayne a bit nervous to have him at their backs. The man was ready to kill anyone who kept him from getting to Jack. Not that Jayne could blame him. Mal had really gone too far this time.

"It cannot be denied that I do savor these moments," The little kingpin was grinning ear to ear from the sound of his voice. _Serenity_ loomed over them in the shadows of the docks at night. Her lights were on but she was utterly still and Jayne figured Kaylee and Wash hadn't been able to fix whatever Riddick had done.

Badger rapped on _Serenity's_ hull with the walking stick he'd decided to affect and stepped back. The ramp lowering spilled gold light over the ground, outlining River's slender figure along with the short crime boss and the much larger silhouettes or Jayne, Riddick and Badger's men. "Halooo…" Badger called in a way that was guaranteed to get Mal's goat. "Might I trouble you for the cargo I've bought and paid for?"

"Yeah, yeah," Mal came striding forward only to stop dead at the sight of River in front of all the men. "River."

"Came to retrieve my sister," River told him coldly. She turned and looked at the shadow that was Riddick, "She's in my old bunk, awake, unharmed. The merc is still in the infirmary. Simon is there too."

Jayne watched as Riddick moved in a soundless run up the ramp, the only acknowledgement he gave Mal was a snarl of fury. Moments later Simon squawked an unhappy and then pained protest; there was a loud thump and crash that sounded like a fist and then instruments falling to the deck. The scent of rich blood filled the air.

Jayne kept his eyes on Mal and River. Mal scarcely knew which way to turn, though Simon's noise did get him glancing backwards for a moment. It wasn't even five minutes before Riddick came back out just as quickly, Jack in his arms. He set her on her feet once they were safely off _Serenity_. "You ever touch my woman again and I'll kill every last one of you."

Simon came limping out, fury in every line of his body, his lip was bloody and his eye was already beginning to bruise, "You _yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu_ … He…" He finally stopped sputtering and got the words out, "Marcus is dead."

"And you're lucky you aren't," River informed him flatly. "I am not yours. I'm well past the legal age considered the threshold of adulthood. I choose to partner with Jayne. And Rick and Jack. You have nothing to say about it. And if you come after me or any of my friends again Simon, I will kill you."

"You—"

He didn't get more than one word out before River cut him off, "I'd be sad to do it. And sorry for hurting Kaylee and leaving _Serenity_ without a doctor. But if it gives me my freedom I'll do it."

"Your freedom, River, you belong here," Mal sounded hurt, actually hurt that she used that word.

"What'd ya expect Mal?" Jayne shook his head, "You an' Simon always tellin' her what to do, what she can' an' cain't do, no real job, ain't allowed out, don't even let her have her own guns. Why don't you just dose her up with the Pax and she'll stay right where you put her."

That hit Mal like a blow to the throat and he took a step back. "No, that ain't…"

"That is what you were doing," River was clear and crisp and unflinching. "You don't respect me. You were happy enough to use my abilities, my skills, but you have no respect for me as a person. As an independent woman. The Operative had more respect for me than you do. _Nǐ dào dǐ dǒng bù dǒng_?"

"River!" Kaylee caught sight of her friend and raced forward, hugging the shorter girl happily. "Oh I'm so glad ta see ya! You find another boat yet? Makin' good money? Wash said you'd land on your feet ya know."

Jayne chuckled, "Kaylee, you might wanna let her breathe there."

Kaylee blinked and let go of River to fling herself at him and he barely got his gun out of the way before she wrapped her arms around his middle. "Jayne! I missed ya! Waves ain't the same ya know? How's Mattie? An' yer brothers?"

"They're fine," Jayne rubbed her back. "But we're in the middle a something here. Might be you wanna get out of the line of fire?"

"Oh," Kaylee finally noticed the guns and squeaked, pulling back and heading for the stairs where she wouldn't be hit by a stray bullet should gunfire commence.

"Kaylee has no trouble seeing me as a person. An adult," River commented.

"Well you done beat me at my own game," Mal rubbed his face tiredly. "Don't got much choice but to let you go since you got all manner of pistols aimed at me."

"I got no need to beat you Mal," River turned his own words on him. "I just wanna go my way."

He paled and Jayne knew she'd finally hit a nerve, made him understand. "I see." He stood aside, "Badger, those four crates are the ones you want."

Badger, whose smile had not faded one bit since the conversation began, beckoned his men forward and observed as they carried the crates out of _Serenity's_ hold, but didn't turn to leave when two of his men began to cart the goods away.

"You can go on and get off my boat now Badger," Mal's voice was tight.

"I don't think so Mal. See, I'm a witness," Badger folded his arms.

"A witness?" Simon's voice rose incredulously. "To what? This lunacy?"

"No," Jayne stepped forward and River took a step back so they were side by side. "No, Badger's here so you'll know we're serious. You don't stop comin' after River, doin' things like kidnappin' Jack trying to get to River, you'll be blackballed."

He watched as Mal went a shade or three paler as he took Jayne's meaning. Simon didn't get it though, " _Gao yang jong duh goo yang_ —"

" _Bì zuǐ_ ," Mal snapped. "You got no notion what you're talkin' on so look to your mouth."

Badger nodded, "You see, I like this crew. I can count on 'em. And when you start kidnapping people because you want someone back on your boat, well there's all sortsa folk would take it amiss. So you, Malcolm Reynolds, will either leave this crew alone, or I will spread the word to everyone I know, talk to, breath on or have heard of, that you can't be counted on to do a job. You won't be able to get work rustling cats."

"Didn't want to do this," River said quietly. "Hoped to be able to have a conversation. To go my own way."

"Yeah," Mal nodded. "That won't be needful. Don't never let it be said I cain't learn from my own mistakes. We won't be trying to cage you again."

"But—" Simon just had to say something.

"Enough," Mal stared at him. The snap of command in his voice brought Simon up short and Mal's gaze returned to River. "You're always gonna be welcome here. Jayne you too… even if I do think she could do miles better."

"Well yeah, I know that Mal," Jayne rolled his eyes. "But I ain't dumb enough to argue with a genius about what she wants. She'd talk me in circles an' I'd end up doin' it anyway."

Mal gave a short bark of a laugh and shook his head, "Ain't that the truth."

Wash picked that moment to come down the stairs and grinned happily when he saw the two of them, "River, Jayne! Figured you two'd wave, not come visitin'."

"We ain't strictly," Jayne shrugged and Wash took in the guns that were slowly being holstered.

"I can see that." He nodded, his steps slowing. "Are we all friends again?" His gaze flicked up to Zoe who'd been silently holding her gun on the group at the doors, her position on the catwalk a perfect snipers perch.

"We're peaceable," Mal told him. "Friendly's somethin' we'll work towards." He looked back at the infirmary, "Was killin' my gunhand really needful?"

"Marcus is dead?" Wash blinked, "Huh. Wonder why I'm not more upset about that…"

"Because he was a merc," Riddick's voice was a low rumble of thunder, promises of destruction in his tone. "An' sooner or later, when price was right, he'd've turned on all of you."

"The creed is greed," Jack's voice was softer but no less certain.

"That must be why," Wash nodded agreeably and looked at his captain. "So we're all done with the hostage taking and unlawful kidnappings?"

"Yeah I'd say that was a bad notion from start to finish," Mal scrubbed at his chin with his hand.

"Well," Badger chuckled and threw Mal a sardonic salute, "Ta for a lovely evenin' then." He strode off with his remaining man whistling a jaunty tune.

"I really really hate that man," Mal remarked in an aggrieved tone.

"He ain't too fond of you neither Mal," Jayne rolled his eyes.

"Jayne, I'm takin' Jack back to the boat," Riddick sounded as if he was losing patience and Jayne couldn't blame him.

"Yeah we'll be right along," He nodded and watched as Riddick carried his sweetheart away.

* * *

 

_**River** _

She wished that she was surprised by Simon's intractable certainty that she wasn't well and belonged where he could safely control her every move. When he got an idea in his head there was no budging it. In some cases, it was a good thing, his belief that she was being harmed at the Academy had led him to move heaven and earth in order to get her out.

He'd given up everything to save her. And now she was behaving in an ungrateful fashion and demanding a life of her own as if she owed him nothing. "Should go back to Osiris," She murmured. A glance at Kaylee and her lack of reaction told the Reader that the romance between the doctor and engineer was either over or on the rocks. Apparently, Kaylee hadn't been exactly happy with how Simon was behaving lately. "Take back your life now that your name is cleared."

"That's…" Simon frowned. "Who will take care of you? You're not safe to be on your own. You're not stable."

"Simon, she's well enough to take care of herself," Kaylee stood up for her friend. "She's been earnin' a wage and makin' her way ever since she left. An' she's got Jayne to take care of her if she needs it."

"Yes Jayne, the ape man gone wrong thing," Simon sneered.

"You know I don't like you talkin' like that 'bout someone's my friend," Kaylee told him firmly. "Jayne ain't any worse than any other gunhand I've met an' he's a darn sight better than some. Anybody with eyes could see he practically worships the ground River walks on. An' if you don't think Jayne's good enough for River then I don't see how you'd ever think I'm good enough for you."

River tilted her head thoughtfully, Reading her brother and her friend, "Educable." She pronounced finally. Kaylee looked at her, forehead wrinkling and River elaborated, "Thinks that you're smart enough to be taught, proper behavior, how to be a lady. Doesn't think Jayne is."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with how I behave," Kaylee stared at her boyfriend who was shifting uncomfortably.

"Of course not, you're just…" Simon trailed off as he realized he was about to make things worse.

"I'm just a country bumpkin, no schoolin', no manners, wears a dress from a store like it's the best thing ever," Kaylee told him. "An' I like who I am. If you think I oughta change then you must not like me as much as you think."

Simon shook his head, "I don't think you have to change. I just…if you wanted to, you're…you're smart enough that you could."

Kaylee shook her head, "I think maybe you oughta sleep in your own bunk tonight. And for a few more nights until you figure out what you really want. Stop bein' so gorram _bái mù_." She moved towards River and hugged her again, "You wave me, let me know how you're doin', an' you too Jayne."

River nodded solemnly, "You and Wash ought to check the wiring leading from the bridge to the engine. And then look at the landing gear."

Kaylee stopped and stared at her a moment and shook her head with a laugh, "I'll do that."

"How'd you know what the problem was?" Wash asked curiously.

"Because Rick followed Mal and the others when they took Jack," Jayne smirked. He looked at Mal, "I'm quiet. But that man's a ghost an' ain't no one can touch him in the dark. He got on board an' you ain't ever seen him. Knows how to cripple a ship permanent if he wants, not just untwist a few wires."

"Sonofa—" Mal shook his head. "This is not my best day ever."

"Said that before," River giggled. "When the girl was in the box still." She looked over at Jayne, "But she isn't a girl anymore. And the box isn't needed."

"No," Mal nodded. "No it ain't."

She smiled up at him and waved to Wash and Kaylee. "Will wave soon. Next time we are close, maybe show you our boat."

She walked back down the ramp and Jayne's arm wrapped around her shoulders in warm heavy comfort. "Ought to wave your brother, let him know _Serenity_ needs a gunhand."

"Should I tell him to change his name?" Jayne grinned at her.

"Leigh is a perfectly good name," River smirked. "Just shouldn't tell them how its spelled."

* * *

 

Jack and Riddick were waiting with very little patience at the ramp of their own boat and the minute they were on board the ship closed behind them. "Badger waved, said if we didn't mind waiting an hour he'd have about six people needed a ride to Pacquin."

"Got enough bunks for 'em," Jayne nodded. "I don't mind the wait. Gives us a minute or two, wind down."

River grinned at him Reading just how he intended to wind down. His teasing leer at her legs simply emphasized his thoughts as he chased her up the stairs.

He didn't quite tackle her to the bed but he did shut the door firmly behind him and press her to the mattress with his body. She could Read that he thought watching her hold a gun on someone was easily the sexiest thing in the 'verse. And wondering if maybe later she'd like to play a round of Core Lady meets the Gun Hand.

Kissing him was a wonder all its own, and knowing he never intended to leave her, would follow her anywhere, was the most soothing knowledge in the 'verse. Her big man might be uncouth at times and occasionally ill-mannered but he had a good heart. He was easily twice her size if he was an inch but he'd never put a bruise on her that she hadn't begged for. Their first time together had hurt he was so large but he'd made sure that was the only time she'd ever hurt when they were together. His mouth and hands had made certain she'd enjoyed the before and after, even if the middle had been uncomfortable.

She'd have thought with all her dancing and fighting that she wouldn't have much of any sort of barrier. Not to mention Jayne's fingers which she'd learned to enjoy a great deal before they'd consummated their relationship completely. But apparently fingers and stretching weren't the same as a _diǎo_ invading her body and filling her in ways that nothing could prepare her for. He'd been so careful, so worried he'd tear her, she'd finally told him to do it all at once, his fears invading her mind.

When she'd put it to him like that he'd nodded and begun to play with her all over again, bringing her fall again and again until she was wet and aching to be filled. He'd brought her knees up and spread her thighs so she was completely exposed before he'd pushed home, shocking her with how it felt. She'd gasped and squirmed and tried to get away but his hips had pinned hers to the bed and he'd kissed her hungrily, moving in and out of her until he fell and she was gasping and surprised it was over.

She'd thought he would roll off of her and cuddle her but he'd pushed himself up, balancing on his elbows and stayed right where he was, sheathed inside her, kissing her and playing with her breasts until she was moaning for him again. His _diǎo_ had begun to swell inside her, hot and hard and it hadn't hurt this time, his fingers found her _yīn dì_ and began to stroke and tease it until her hips were rolling against his and she was straining for release.

When she found it, when her Jayne gave it to her, his own following with a long groan of pleasure she'd nearly blacked out from the pleasure of it. Ever since then Jayne had been proving over and over that he would take care of her in every way she needed. Even if it was some way she hadn't thought of.

* * *

 

When they emerged from their room she was tousled and relaxed, the tension she'd been carrying since seeing Simon and the rest of _Serenity's_ crew eased. Riddick was on the bridge laying in a course and Jack was on the couch with a book. "Better?" Jack gave her a teasing glance and her eyes flicked to the door of their bedroom. "You wear him out?"

River giggled, "Not quite. He's waving his brother. _Serenity's_ going to need a gunhand and Leigh isn't far away."

"They could use another doctor too," Jack commented putting her book down. "Don't think your brother is going to last long without Kaylee making excuses for him."

"Didn't think so," River shook her head. "He was always at home on Osiris. At the hospital. He fit in there in a way I never did. This was always the life I was meant for."

"We would have wound up where we are, one way or another," Jack agreed. "Long as we're with them, does it really matter?"

She shook her head, "No. Details are irrelevant."

"Yeah, well six 'details' are going to want bunks in about ten minutes," Jack reminded her. "We'd better make sure every bunk has bedding in case some of them don't want to share."

"Hmm… and we need to check the armory and restock our explosives. Used the bulk of them on the Necromongers." River nodded, heading down to the cargo deck.

"Thought Jayne would like that," Jack called down after her. "He loves the armory."

"What're you talkin' about?" Jayne's voice was slightly puzzled. "What's River got to do with guns? 'Sides the combination o' the two bein' sexy as hell."

Jack's laugh followed River down to the cargo deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So Mal's been made to see sense even if Simon hasn't yet. Sometimes the Captain just needs a very pointed reminder that other people have different perspectives regarding his actions. I didn't want a huge gunfight or even screaming, to my mind River is intelligent enough to make her point without excess volume. People who talk quietly tend to be heard more because others are forced to listen.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> yú chǔn zì jiāo de dà zi ròu (stupid inbred sack of meat)
> 
> Nǐ dào dǐ dǒng bù dǒng (Do you get it or not? Can you get it through your skull?)
> 
> Bì zuǐ (Shut up!)
> 
> bái mù (stupid / Lit. white-eyed, blind / not understanding the situation and reacting in a wrong way as a result)
> 
> diǎo (cock)
> 
> yīn dì (clitoris)
> 
> Chinese Script Translations:
> 
> Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi (script- Stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey)
> 
> Gao yang jong duh goo yang (Script- Motherless goats of all motherless goats)


	22. Twenty-Two

_**Riddick** _

Badger's jobs usually had a way of needing perfect timing, genius plans and sharp shooting of the type that could blow a button off a shirt without nicking a thread. But they were always fairly lucrative if they were pulled off correctly. Thankfully this job was no exception. Robbing a train was interesting. Jayne and River had done a job similar to this one, back when River was a lot more wobbly in her sanity, but thankfully they weren't stealing drugs this time.

The take this time was the payroll of a security company. Jayne had chuckled wickedly and rubbed his hands together, "I love takin' money from security firms. Always feels more fun."

River giggled and shook her head, "We will not dangle from the ship over the train."

Jayne had actually pouted for a moment, "What? No thrillin' heroics? _Dà xiàng bào zhà shì de lā dù zi_."

"Nope," Jack tapped the screen and moved the plans, showing the layout of the train. "Cargo an' such is in the last couple cars."

Riddick frowned over the schematics and tweaked them so they could see the couplings of the cars. "Looks like standard couplings."

River shook her head, blowing the image up even more, "Programmable." She pointed out what could be mistaken for a design in the metal. "We'll have to husk them, reprogram the second to last car coupling and manually disconnect it from the rest of the train."

"Won't it start to speed up if it ain't pullin' as much weight?" Jayne wondered and River beamed at him proudly.

"It will, so we must husk the controls to put the brakes on slightly, to compensate." She looked at Jack who was studying the schematics thoughtfully.

"They run on a fairly closed system it looks like, but they get their schedule, passenger list and cargo manifest via a satellite download," Jack murmured and smiled. "That's our way in."

Riddick nodded, "So we get tickets for the train, as disguised as possible since we don't know how many eyes they've got."

"And the train we want runs at midday," Jack told him. "You're not going to be able to go out in that unless you wear your goggles and that'll make you stand out."

"Someone has to fly the boat," Riddick knew he sounded slightly disgruntled. He was never going to like staying behind with the ship, even if he did need to fly it out to them, not while the women and Cobb were out in danger. Especially not when Jack was in danger.

River gave him a sympathetic glance, "Pilot will not be exempt should the law come. Innocent bystanders do not fly getaway ships."

"Yeah, let's make sure we don't have to make a fast get away," He suggested. "What's the station look like? Any chance of getting aboard without even buying tickets?"

Pulling up the station schematics wasn't hard for a cortex genius like River, and Jack's brilliance at engineering, and his own escape experience, pinpointed blindspots in the camera eyes. They determined that it wasn't possible to get aboard the train without tickets, but they would be able to buy the tickets remotely and simply pick them up rather than waiting in a line and spending more time under the cameras.

River would bring her cortex on the train, and midway through the journey, before they hit the mountains she would disconnect the cargo cars. Jayne was in the last passenger car while Jack and River were in the third ahead of him. They would have to head back to the last car before the cargo cars were disconnected or they'd end up jumping from the train. Not recommended at the speeds they would be traveling.

River and Jack had decided to act like a pair of giggly girls in search of the 'cute' guy they'd seen at the station. That would give them the perfect excuse to wander up and down the train. Jayne planned to pretend he was asleep for most of the journey and get up to stretch his legs.

Riddick was responsible for keeping an eye on the train and counting down for all of them. This was going to be tight. At least their passengers would be off the boat by the time they started the actual job.

* * *

 

They had two cargo cars full of goods, including the payroll they were stealing for Badger. Rather than hunt through the cars for the payroll they'd disconnected as early as they could, so they'd have plenty of time to unload everything into the boat. He was thankful they'd gotten the two mules when they'd bought the boat.

River was laughing with Jack as they hurried through the unloading while Jayne carried a trunk on his shoulder. "Lucky there are no personal possessions," River commented as they went back and forth.

"How'd you mean?" Riddick had noticed there weren't any things that resembled luggage. Even the trunks Jayne was carrying were labeled with a company logo.

"All luggage for passengers is carry on," Jack explained. "It goes in overhead racks. Last two cars are commercial cargo only."

"Saves on weight," River commented as she drove one of the mules back to the cars. "And we don't need to feel guilty for taking someone's treasures."

Riddick grinned, "Yeah guess that's nice."

Jack laughed and shook her head, "Like you'd worry. _Māo kū hào zi_." She teased as she went past.

"I might…a little," He shrugged and she grinned back at him.

Jayne heaved another crate onto the mule, "Very last one." He looked over at Riddick, "I was thinking of setting off a little bomb on the coupling, so nobody catches on to how we did it."

Riddick nodded, "Good idea."

* * *

 

Just out of curiosity he typed the coordinates they'd gotten from Aereon into the cortex. The system that came up wasn't far, and had a few planets besides the one designated as Furya. It looked like every planet in the system had some sort of settlement on it.

"Looks like the Necros didn't turn Furya into a dead rock," Jack commented from the doorway. "Ain't far out of our way, if you wanna make a stop." She took a seat in his lap and kissed his cheek affectionately.

"Yeah… if we don't have another job lined up yet and we can sell off the stolen goods we picked up slowly…" He nodded thoughtfully. "Like to take a look around the place. From the maps it looks like all the recent settlements are in one area."

"But over here it looks like you have the remains of town or five," Jack tapped another part of the screen. "We could set down there." She considered the area they were looking at, "What's the cortex say about it?"

He'd done a bit of looking into that before she'd come in, "Most of it's unclaimed. Folks seem to think the planet's a little unstable. Two moons make for some interesting tides and half of the world is water. Other parts have volcanic mountain ranges, looks like they get some tectonic plate shifts."

"So we could set down there and nobody's gonna come lookin'?" Jack mused.

He did love the way she thought. "That occurred to me."

"Set a course, I'll let River an' Jayne know."

* * *

 

It was only a day out of their way, and it was something of a relief to set down on a planet where they wouldn't need to worry about someone recognizing one or all of them. River and Jayne's old crew weren't searching anymore but that didn't mean mercs wouldn't be on the lookout. They'd landed on the outskirts of what looked to be a ghost town, buildings slowly falling down in a way that suggested they'd been made to last. The place wasn't nearly as decrepit as it should have been.

"Don't look like much work'd be needed, get the place spiffed up again," Jayne was tapping on the stucco of a wall and nodding his approval. "Built nice and solid. Be cool in the summer and warm in the winter."

"Weather would be extreme, with an erratic orbit and two moons," River nodded her agreement, humming softly as she walked.

"Yeah, gravity's a touch heavier than earth norm," Riddick commented thoughtfully. "And those volcanoes must make things interesting now and then." He gestured towards the burning mountains in the distance.

"Must be a byproduct of the moons and odd orbit," Jack was looking around curiously. "Increases the gravity, makes tectonic plates shift so the volcanoes never go completely cold." She smiled suddenly and he could tell she'd Seen something, "But they won't erupt for a few hundred years. And nobody will be stupid enough to build close to them."

"Yeah?" Riddick grinned down at her as they walked farther into the settlement's empty streets. "Seem odd to any of you that there aren't any bodies? No blood spatter?"

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," River murmured. Riddick remembered she'd talked about a Shepherd being around when she'd been crazy. With a Reader around a priest instant recall of bible verses would be a natural bi-product.

"Planet with weather like this, only real hardy folks'd survive," Jayne offered. "A couple seasons and any bodies left'd be gone. That's assumin' there weren't no scavengers, like buzzards an' such. _Shuǐ huǒ wú qíng_."

He nodded and looked into a building curiously, the thick wooden door half off its hinges, "Think you're probably right, the way the cloth is falling apart in there." Jack's soft hand slid into his to squeeze his fingers for a moment before she released him. He appreciated the comfort but appreciated even more that she understood he needed his hands free for fighting if something happened.

The wind blew through the buildings and swirled in the streets, kicking up dust devils and ringing some old chimes that still hung from the corner rafters of a building or two. Finally they found something that looked as if it might have been a mill, and a cortex that was dead but wasn't smashed to bits. River frowned and with Jayne's help tugged the back panel off, connecting it to her solar panel and routing it through her portable cortex. "Enough power to download the information. Find out what this place was," She told them as she worked.

"Cain't quite figure it," Jayne admitted. "Ain't seen anything looks like a general store or a bank, not even a school. Wouldn't even think it was a town if the buildings weren't all in one place."

Riddick understood what he meant, there was no reason that they could see for a settlement to be in this place. Unless the plains around them had once been grain fields. But a mill this small wouldn't be able to service much. It didn't make sense.

* * *

 

**_Jack_ **

She could tell it bothered him, that he didn't know anything about his people. Didn't even know he was part of a people until Aereon had put that price on his head. To find out that you weren't a freak of nature or an animal, that you were part of a race that was considered the greatest of spiritual warriors… it had to be a bit of a shock.

River had managed to download most of the data from the old cortex and began to scan through the files for information. After what seemed like a day and was likely only an hour she looked up and grinned at them. " _Jǐn náng miào jì_. Furyans were cunning. Ruthless, powerful warriors," She began to explain. "The settlement is only the tip of the iceberg. Everything that Furya is, lies below."

She showed them a map of the town they were in, a maze of tunnels leading the houses to a central cavern and other cave systems below. "Warriors, hunters, craftsman, all valued and with a place to work. Treasures hidden below. Mines for metals and jewels. Fields above for grain, and orchards to the west for fruit. Furya is harsh and unforgiving but she forges strength from raw fuel. Found a place where the rock and earth is settled and dug in."

"So everything that tells you about Furyans is hidden, underground, or in plain sight, so…what? People just overlooked them? Thought they were savages?" Riddick looked around the ghost town again. For all it was very slowly crumbling, it was laid out in a strategic fashion, no straight lines, plenty of blind spots to ambush invaders.

"Wished to live as they chose," River showed him the cortex. "To go their way. Created a city, where the new settlements are. Somewhere to draw an enemy. Made the city one big trap, a target irresistible to for anyone who would attack, took the layout of their town and magnified it. Like a honey pot draws bees."

"So they knew the Necros were coming," Jack realized. "Damn."

"They had their own Seers," Jayne guessed. "Hide enough that the Necros had to act like _xiā zi mō xiàng_."

"And they evacuated as many women, children, craftsman…anyone who wasn't a warrior. All the boys and girls who were in training to become warriors, they were also sent away. Along with their teachers, men and women too old for war but strong enough to train." River nodded. "When the Necros came they killed everyone, all they found. And with such a…sparse population, so few towns and only one large city, it was believable that they killed every Furyan."

"They tore down their own buildings, hid the entrances to the caves," Riddick read over her shoulder. "Made it look like there were only a few thousand people living here. So the Necros wouldn't look any further than Furya."

"Sent them to Kerry, to Deadwood, everywhere on the outer Rim, places where they wouldn't be noticed," River smiled. "They all wait, live and work and remember, learn the ways of Furya in private."

"Waiting for what?" Riddick looked around at the building they were in. "Why didn't they come back?"

"Waiting for an Alpha Furyan to call them." Jack whispered. It came, clear as a capture in her mind, the place they needed to go, where the signal was hidden. "We need to go underground, find the signal, and Riddick, you need to be the one to send it."

"Waiting for the Necromongers to be defeated." River looked at Riddick. "Waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled. The only Alpha Furyan not in hiding, who will defeat the Necromongers and call his people home."

"Well shit," Riddick rubbed a hand over his scalp uneasily and Jack patted his arm. "And what're they gonna want from me?"

"Nothing most likely," Jack reassured him. "If they're anything like you, they'll just want to come home and start their lives up on their own planet."

River nodded again, confirming Jack's theory. "Other Alphas. But none like him. They will look to him as an example of what they can be, they are not a people who will take to being governed or led."

Jack's smile spread into a wicked little grin, "They're like you. Don't care much for orders." She could see on his face that he wanted to kiss her senseless and then fuck her until they both passed out but it would have to wait.

"So all they're going to want is to come home," Riddick nodded slowly. "Likely whatever form of government they had'll be put back in place and it doesn't really depend on me." Jack nodded.

"It'll look like a bunch of people just pullin' up stakes and moving some wheres for a fresh start." Jayne chuckled, "Should be interesting. Betcha there's a lot of ships 'bout to be boarded for travel to a rock they ain't hardly heard of."

She watched as her big bad man sighed in resignation. "Right… so where's this device?"

* * *

 

It took them a bit to find it. And every iota of genius she and River could scrape up to get it working with solar power instead of the wind turbine it was connected to. Make that the remains of the wind turbine. But they finally got it up and working and then powered up.

The screen that came on was curiously dull but Riddick seemed to see it just fine. "Okay… says to put my palm on the screen and stare straight ahead, no protective gear. And if I'm not Furyan this is my last warning."

Jayne chuckled, "Guess they're playin' for keeps."

Jack grinned, "Yeah, but so does Riddick."

"Real funny," Riddick muttered and laid his palm on the dull screen and stared straight ahead into what looked like the rockface wall. The pale silvery light that bathed his face made his eyes glow brighter but he didn't seem to be in any pain thankfully. The machine under his hand began to rumble and then worked itself up into a high pitched whine that had them all wincing before it shifted tones into something that seemed to shake their bones and set their teeth vibrating but wasn't so much painful as weird.

As abruptly as it began, it stopped. The machine chimed once and the light faded. "Process of recall complete." A woman's voice echoed through the stone chamber. "Welcome, Furyan Alpha; of the line of Gwynedd and Boadicea."

"Son of a bitch," Riddick cursed and Jack wrapped her arm around his waist. "Don't know what the means exactly but…it's more than I knew before."

Jack smiled, "Maybe you got family on some other world, an' they'll be comin' back."

"Yeah," She could tell from his tone that her man wasn't going to get his hopes up. He'd been disappointed too many times.

"Well we'll see," She patted his back. "Think we need a good meal and some sleep before we start to do anything else around here."

"Yeah," He nodded and sounded a bit more enthusiastic. "I could eat."

* * *

 

She knew he was uneasy. If there was one thing she'd learned in the year and more she'd been traveling with Riddick, it was that her man didn't like unknowns. He liked to have a plan and as much information as possible. He was so damn good at improvising that most folks wouldn't guess that he hated it. As he'd pointed out when they were hustling from one ship to another, five steps ahead of the authorities, instincts were great, they'd served him well but only a fool didn't at least attempt to prepare for every eventuality. 

"So River an' me, we've been looking over the info she got from that old cortex," She sat in his lap and kissed him firmly to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He nuzzled her neck, his lips on the mark he'd given her and she shivered. "Don't mind me _Mì Táo_ , I'll just entertain myself."

"Riddick," Jack protested but without much heat behind it. He growled and she sighed at the feel of it against her skin. He loved that unless they were in public or likely to be overheard, she called him Riddick rather than Rick. He'd earned the reputation that came along with his name and that she'd rather use it than something gentler pleased him to no end. "Hmm… _Āi yā_ … so we found out… that… Ohh…"

* * *

 

At some point he'd moved her from his chair to their bed, she hadn't noticed amidst the dizzying storm of sensation he'd been busily evoking. When her brain started functioning again she noted the change in position with a blink, looking over at his lazy grin with a smile.

"Oughta know better than to kiss me like that if you want me to listen to something instead of giving you my full and undivided attention," His smirk was unrepentant as he stroked her hair.

"Hmm…got you to relax didn't it?" She retorted, her smile spreading to a grin.

"If I were any more relaxed my bones'd be melted," He shrugged. "So what about the data you and River found?"

"When your people evacuated they took everything they could with them," Jack explained. "That's part of why we didn't find much in the way of spoils underground. They left enough to satisfy any Necro looters but all the libraries, the artifacts, things that, they took with."

"And anything that looked too sophisticated for people who were warriors above all else." He realized, a thoughtful frown wrinkling his forehead. "It say anything about how they were gonna be called back?"

"Every line, each family and ship had multiple transmitters. Tuned to a frequency only Furyans and some animals can hear," She explained what they'd found. "Once you activated the beacon, they'll start going off, lettin' folks know to come on back. Might take a while if they've scattered, or need to pack stuff up."

"So if we wait we could be waiting a while," He leaned back against the pillows and tugged her close. "How long you think we can stick around?"

How long could they afford to stick around was the real question. Jack considered that and shook her head, "Honestly I don't know. Have to talk with Jayne an' River. Might be we could set something up, a beacon of our own, so if someone arrives they'll know to give us a wave."

"Guess we'll get something figured out," He nodded and pulled her closer, kissing her again. "Mean time, since we aren't going anywhere today…"

"You're insatiable," She grinned. "Not that I mind one bit."

* * *

 

In the end they spent a week on Furya, and most of that exploring and figuring out how to leave a message for anyone returning to the planet. By the time they got a wave rigged and their address set they had to move or they'd lose out on a job they could really use.

After a good month out in the Black, getting various jobs done, coming across a boat obviously hit by Reavers and in general scratching out a living they got their first wave. Funnily enough it was from Jayne's kin on Kerry. Apparently they'd been some of the first in the exodus and it had been their job to scout other planets for likely places to hide in plain sight.

They'd also been able to explain just why it was Jayne and his siblings had known nothing about Furya. Once you'd borne children, the elders would let you in on the secret. All the education they'd been given that had made no sense at the time, the stories that seemed more like fairy tales, suddenly became clear with the knowledge of Furya's existence. The more practical knowledge, things that they could use to make a life was passed on as a matter of course, but only to other Furyans.

Jack shook her head, it certainly explained why no one could touch Jayne for tracking and gun smithing. He'd learned at his father's knee, who'd learned from his father, and he'd learned from his sire who'd died before seeing Furya again. She was willing to bet there were a lot of folks who were the same as he was. Different in subtle ways and ignorant of why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Okay, so they finally found Furya and now we know (finally) why Jayne has some similarities to Riddick. Just the epilogue left to go. Hope you've enjoyed this.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Dà xiàng bào zhà shì de lā dù zi (To have the explosive-type diarrhea of an elephant)
> 
> Māo kū hào zi . (the cat weeps for the dead mouse (idiom); hypocritical pretence of condolence / crocodile tears
> 
> Shuǐ huǒ wú qíng. (Fire and water have no mercy (idiom). forces of nature beyond human control / implacable fate)
> 
> Jǐn náng miào jì (brocade sack of miracle plans (idiom); bag of tricks / fiendishly cunning masterplan (written out by strategic genius of fiction, and given to the local commander in a brocade bag))
> 
> xiā zi mō xiàng (blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra); fig. unable to see the big picture / to mistake the part for the whole / unable to see the wood for the trees)
> 
> Mì Táo (honey peach)
> 
> āi yā (interjection of wonder, shock or admiration)
> 
> Quote Sources:
> 
> In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return – Genesis 3:19


	23. Epilogue

“Transport ship designation Clear Call you are cleared for docking port nine.” The voice that came over the wave was familiar and they all grinned. “Now ya’ll behave yersels whilst yer here. Took three days to mop up the mess you left last time.”

“Ain’t our fault the young bucks think the way to prove they’re men is to take us on,” Riddick retorted. “An’ treatin’ our women like they were silly dolls is the surest way to get their _pì gus_ kicked and kicked hard. The women are just as much Furyan as me and Jayne.”

“They’ve been warned,” Mattie’s voice was even more amused. “They just didn’t think your women could possibly be Furyan, or able to hold their own against them.”

“Well anyone needs more sense knocked into their skulls you know where we’ll be,” Jayne laughed from the doorway of the bridge. “Rick, Jack says first order of business is that well pump.”

“That’s the third time…” Riddick shook his head and River giggled.

“She reminds you to mess with your head,” She grinned at him.

“We’ve got folks ready to get you unloaded the minute your passengers disembark,” Mattie informed them. “We’ll see ya’ll at the _cèilidh_ tomorra if Ma an’ Da don’t ambush you out at the ranch.” The wave shut off and Riddick rolled his eyes.

“Went from being alone in the ‘verse except for you three to having more gorram family than I know what to do with,” He groused humorously.

“Least Mal an’ _Serenity_ ain’t here this time,” Jayne reminded him. “Though him threatenin’ to leave Simon at the docks was gorram funny.”

“My Jayne…” River pointed out the windows of the bridge to a familiar looking silhouette. “They are bringing cargo and passengers as well.” She tilted her head, “But Simon is not with them. Left on Persephone. Kaylee has had enough of his attitude and Jayne’s brother Leigh made plain that he finds her wonderful. Began courting behavior, competing with Simon. Made Simon look very much like Simon, no rose-colored glasses. Flaws and faults cannot be made up for with pretty manners and a handsome face.”

Jayne groaned, “ _Gao yang jong duh goo yang_. You mean I’m gonna have to put up with Mal alla the time?”

“Worse things in the ‘verse,” River told him unsympathetically as the ship touched dirt.

“Yeah,” Jayne shook his head. “Leastways they won’t be out at the ranch.”

“Uhmm… Jayne…” River’s voice followed him out the door in a tone that indicated that assumption was erroneous.

Her _bàng jiār's_ curse floated up the stairs at that and Riddick just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Well that is all folks. I hope you enjoyed it. I’ve got another fic that I need to polish up a bit before I start posting it, so I don’t know if I’ll get it finished before ‘As the Night the Day’ is finished posting. 
> 
> This was mostly meant to tie up a few lose ends, indicate that just because they found Furya doesn’t mean they’re settling down. Now they just have a home to go to when they want to recharge between jobs.
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> pì gus (butts)
> 
> bàng jiār’s (lover / partner)
> 
> Script Chinese Translations:
> 
> Gao yang jong duh goo yang (Script- Motherless goats of all motherless goats)


End file.
